What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change.
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change. Read Less Description
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change.
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change. Read Less Description
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change.
Sophie Lescaut studied philosophy, then became a speech therapist. She says, “From there was born my interest in sounds, rhythm, and onomatopoeia.” Her sensitive and rhythmic writing is ideal for reading aloud. She currently lives in Paris with her family.
Thanh Portal
Thanh Portal loves books. She has done it all—read, reread, sell, manufacture, and illustrate them. Her beautiful drawing style has been described as naive and delicate.
★ "The tree told me" is a refrain followed by philosophical points about how to be a better human. In Portal’s deliberately simple shapes and lines, a small seed develops into the full tree, demonstrating that life is an experience beginning with “almost nothing” and can day by day flourish. The tree says to share, as two squirrels gather around food. Strength is possible from small acts; the future provides opportunity to build good character if the foundation is solidly rooted in firm pillars of acceptable moral principles; the journey through life has many ups and downs but the growth is steady. “The tree told me to experience the storms / The tree told me that the night has its secrets / The tree told me that some things are unacceptable.” This is a secular moral code in its most straightforward form, and one children can grasp. It would be at home in the classroom, or as a conversation starter at story hours. VERDICT A kindly phrase, “The tree told me,” builds a structure and how-to on creating a decent life. It’s that simple, and it’s that wonderful.
—School Library Journal Starred Review
Featured in the CBC Spring 2024 Showcase: “Transformation”
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change.
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change. Read Less Description
Details:
SKUWW-NL6013
ISBN9781478873747
Series
Reycraft Books
Lexile levelNP
Genre
Fiction
Language
English
Theme
Narrative Fiction, P
Narrative Fiction, Plants
Juvenile Fiction / N
Juvenile Fiction / Nature & the Natural World / General Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Values & Virtues Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Emotions & Feelings
Full Description
What can be learned from a tree? If we watch and listen . . . a tree has much to teach us about life—like how you can be small and strong at the same time and how to weather the storms. The author, a philosopher, offers an intriguing look at how children can navigate this thing we call “life” as they grow and change.
Author & Illustrator
Sophie Lescaut
Sophie Lescaut studied philosophy, then became a speech therapist. She says, “From there was born my interest in sounds, rhythm, and onomatopoeia.” Her sensitive and rhythmic writing is ideal for reading aloud. She currently lives in Paris with her family.
Thanh Portal
Thanh Portal loves books. She has done it all—read, reread, sell, manufacture, and illustrate them. Her beautiful drawing style has been described as naive and delicate.
Reviews
★ "The tree told me" is a refrain followed by philosophical points about how to be a better human. In Portal’s deliberately simple shapes and lines, a small seed develops into the full tree, demonstrating that life is an experience beginning with “almost nothing” and can day by day flourish. The tree says to share, as two squirrels gather around food. Strength is possible from small acts; the future provides opportunity to build good character if the foundation is solidly rooted in firm pillars of acceptable moral principles; the journey through life has many ups and downs but the growth is steady. “The tree told me to experience the storms / The tree told me that the night has its secrets / The tree told me that some things are unacceptable.” This is a secular moral code in its most straightforward form, and one children can grasp. It would be at home in the classroom, or as a conversation starter at story hours. VERDICT A kindly phrase, “The tree told me,” builds a structure and how-to on creating a decent life. It’s that simple, and it’s that wonderful.
—School Library Journal Starred Review
Featured in the CBC Spring 2024 Showcase: “Transformation”
