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PICTURE BOOKS
Luyken, Corinna

The Tree in Me

56 pp. | Dial | March, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-593-11259-5 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-593-11260-1 $10.99
(2) K-3 Luyken's (My Heart, rev. 3/19) latest offering will bolster her strong reputation as an artist skilled in making tangible the intangible qualities of lovingkindness, resilience, and creativity. Here, a tree represents a child's oneness with nature and her sense of self within a warm community of friends. Cover art depicts a child looking up at an apple on a branch, its red form visually echoed in her rosy cheek. Reds, pinks, and golds predominate (though spreads devoted to sky and water serve up a contrasting vivid, cool cerulean) on spreads that continue the visual association between girl and tree. Meanwhile, the spare, lyrical text details their connection, and she is soon accompanied by other children clambering on "branch and trunk," their bodies merging with the colors and forms of the leaves, bark, and blossoms in the softly textured, painterly illustrations. The visual effect underscores the text's message of interconnectedness, expanding to recognize not just "the tree in me" but the sun and sky, too. The overall meditative quality of the book culminates with the acknowledgment of others' oneness with the world.
Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert

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