How I Learned to Fall Out of Trees

February 15, 2019
Saying goodbye to a friend is tied together with the experience of climbing in Kirsch's sentimental latest.Roger learns a last lesson from his friend Adelia before her family moves away: how to climb a tree. "What if I fall?" he worries. What follows is a primer on both getting up into the leaves and coping with the loss of someone you're attached to. Kirsch elegantly makes the connection with affirmations that work both ways: "Hang on tight with both hands"; "take it one branch at a time"; and, inevitably, "letting go will be the hardest part!" If it seems tree-twee, the pace and Roger's perpetually grim but trusting face make up for it. The busily illustrated pages that show Roger and Adelia having their last moments together are intercut with items she's collected to break Roger's fall, presented on contrasting white backgrounds. These pages come across like warm, flashing memories. By the time Roger makes his solo climb and falls, smiling, into a gigantic pile of Adelia's making, it feels like a tremendous and joyful payoff to what has previously seemed like a sad learning experience. Adding to the vibe are Kirsch's careful details: bespectacled, pink-skinned Roger's fussy clothing, brown-skinned Adelia's flower garlands, the ridged texture of the tree itself. Close readers might wonder if Adelia falls victim to the "magical minority" trope, but as both children are equally swiftly sketched it does not seem to apply.A well-cultivated story that plants a seed about the value of friends and what they leave with us, even when they're gone. (Picture book. 3-8)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 7, 2019

K-Gr 2-Adelia promises bespectacled Roger that she'll teach him how to climb a tree before she moves away. In spring, they gather feathers for cushions as she begins coaching him at their favorite tree. In summer, they bring stuffed toys and fort-making pillows for security during instruction. In autumn, Adelia offers suggestions as the pair collect soft winter outerwear for padding, and pack up her moving boxes. As Adelia rides away, Roger asks "What if I fall?" Her reply: "Falling will be easy. Letting go will be the hardest part." Indeed, Roger leaves even his faithful teddy bear to successfully climb the now-snowy tree, but finds that letting go in any respect is not easy at all. Kirsch's tender tale is illustrated in seasonal watercolors and ink with cut tracing. Jolly scenes like the children packed in boxes with gloves on feet and eyes peering out balance the melancholy to come. VERDICT The double meaning of the tale's finale may require explanation but the story and illustrations are a champion team, like Adelia and Roger.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.