Maple

November 18, 2013
Debut talent Nichols explores the relationship between a girl and the tree she’s named after, planted by her parents in her honor. It’s less a story than a string of
affectionate reminiscences: “And even though Flavia, Millie Jane, Lena, Lily, and Constance were all good names... Maple was the perfect fit.” Maple sings and dances for her tree and offers her coat to it when it loses its leaves. In return, the tree offers shade, “and its leaves would dance just for her.” A new sapling appears along with a new baby sister, Willow, whom Maple is old enough to welcome without jealousy. Nichols draws Maple as a sort of everygirl, with pin-dot eyes, a pert nose, and a curved line for a smile; her tree and its surroundings are similarly generalized. The narrator’s voice, by contrast, has its own distinctive, understated humor: “Then something really surprising happened,” one page reads, as Maple notices her mother’s bulging middle for the first time. An exploration of different kinds of love and different kinds of acceptance. Ages 3–5. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
A little girl and a tree grow up together in this sweet debut. Maple, named for a sapling planted just before her birth, plays alongside her special tree every day, giving it hugs and watching its foliage flutter. Her free-spirited, bracing sessions of solitary, outdoor fun appear as crisp vignettes on white backgrounds, their sequencing marking the marching passage of time, which stops for moments of reflection. A long, grassy double-page spread appears at spring, showing Maple bent knees to nose over dolls, directing a miniaturized theater production under the tree's canopy. Here's a child's world, where page borders crop out parents' faces and private reverie recurs as an all-consuming pastime, transmuted by Nichols through charmingly plain pencil illustrations and mild digital colors. Maple, sweetly nondescript with her round head, low braids, comfortable dresses and pink cheeks, could easily sit next to any young reader at preschool or day care. Leaf rubbings (from real maple leaves!) dazzle with their sudden crinkles, veins and tart greens and orangy yellows. Another small tree, right next to Maple's, marks the birth of a new sibling (Willow), who soon joins her sister under dancing leaves in this kid's kingdom. An arboreal homage perfect for children reveling in alone time or reeling with a new sibling's arrival. (Picture book. 2-6)

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Starred review from January 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Readers will fall in love with Maple, whose parents planted a tree in her honor when she was "still a whisper." Each page turn shows the child growing, playing, and seeking refuge under her leafy companion. She sometimes longs for the friendship of someone who can play with her ("The tree wasn't very good at throwing snowballs") and wonders if the tree feels the same way. One day, Maple is surprised to realize that there's a sapling growing next to her tree, and she soon discovers that a sibling of her very own is on the way. The crispness of Nichols's lush, leafy illustrations on each thick white page helps Maple's adventures around the little sapling stand out. This may be Nichols's debut picture book, but the only thing green about this effort is the perfect shade of a maple leaf. This is a fresh addition to the standard new sibling fare, and young naturalists will identify with Maple's adventurous and tender spirit.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades K-3 When she was still in her mother's belly, Maple's parents planted a maple sapling in her honor. As the tree grew, so did the girl. Maple, who could be loud at times, sang songs to her tree, swayed around it, and even, sometimes, pretended to be a tree. Seasons passed, and through strong winds and falling snow, Maple and her tree still had each other. Then things changed. A tiny wisp of a willow tree is planted, just as Maple's mother is about to give birth again. Turns out the noisy baby, Willow, is just as enchanted by the maple tree's shifting leaves as her older sister. This sweet story about seasons of change and love in different forms reads like a wistful recollection of childhood. Nichols is a talented debut author and illustrator: her voice is quiet and unique, and her pencil-on-Mylar illustrations, digitally colored, are similarly both nostalgic and fresh in feel. Share with siblings-to-be and, of course, anyone named Hazel or Juniper.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)