the tree in me

A stunning and sensitive portrait of the strength within each of us and the nourishment we receive from the natural world, by the New York Times bestselling creator of the acclaimed My Heart and The Book of Mistakes

Through poetic text and exquisite illustrations of children reveling in nature, this picture book explores the various ways we as human beings are strong, creative, and connected to others. Each of us is like a tree, with roots and fruit, and an enduring link to everything else in nature. "The tree in me is strong. It bends in the wind, and has roots that go deep . . . to where other roots reach up toward their own trunk-branch-crown and sky."

As Corinna Luyken did in her award-winning My Heart, she again provides an invigorating conversation-starter that contains a world of truths—about self-esteem, community, and living a meaningful life.

Pages: 96

Ages: 3-7yrs

Praise: 

Luyken imagines that in every human, there grows a tree: “The tree in me/ is seed and blossom/ bark and stump.” An inclusive group of kids romps through the pages as she elaborates in lyrical verse. One child climbs the lowest branch of a tree; two more perch in its branches as another, below, reaches for an apple. Humans contain shade, sun, and even delicious flavors, the text posits, “part apple,/ part orange-pear-almond-plum,/ part yummm!” In the spreads, a vibrant rose pink, the gold of light, and a shadowy black predominate, focusing on passion and inner truth rather than examining trees themselves. Layers of scumbled paint suggest a reality that can’t be entirely seen or grasped, but movement and energy pour through the spreads as the children play, run, and embrace the very air in this celebration of the way the force of nature courses through every living being. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)