If I Were a Tree

March 15, 2021
Enjoy and observe nature with all your senses. A family of color embarks on an adventure in the great outdoors. On their way to the campsite and when they get there, the children repeatedly declare, "If I were a tree," then imagine exploring the world from the trees' perspectives. They imagine seeing ("a web draped with dew, the dawn turning blue"), touching ("nests on my bark, bats hiding till dark"), smelling ("sweet honey and bees, and skunk on the breeze"), tasting ("waters that flood, and minerals in mud"), and hearing ("snakes in a hole, the sneeze of a mole") their surroundings. As the children wander through the forest, the rhyming verses and simple text engage children in the fun. Readers will delight in the breathtaking illustrations. Double-page spreads are rich and vibrant, Tsong using the colors of nature to evoke a warm and inviting environment. The combination of printmaking and digital collage creates an abundance of depth and texture to each illustration. From an aerial view of a tiny tent in a vast forest to a close-up look at a dazzling spiderweb, the varying perspective reveals more and more with each page turn. Mom presents Asian, and Dad has brown skin, with one child taking after each; the book thus adds valuable representation to the nature genre. A concluding spread offers tree-related extension prompts. Young readers will want to experience this book over and over again. (Picture book. 5-8)

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March 15, 2021
Grades K-3 With lyrical text and lush illustrations, this story of two siblings on a family camping trip emphasizes a multisensory experience of the outdoors. As they hike and explore--parents reassuringly nearby--they imagine the surrounding trees' points of view: "If I were a tree, I know what I'd feel. / The warmth of the sun, and squirrels on the run . . . The climbing of boots, and worms by my roots." Others highlight taste, smell, hearing, and sight, and there's an impressive amount of things to discover. The poetic conclusion, "I'd know what I'd know," addresses the reliable, cyclical passage of time. Tsong's vibrant, textural, collage-like illustrations beautifully depict the multiracial family against backgrounds dense with detail, including various plants, wildlife, and the ever-present trees. Zimmerman's wide-ranging, idiosyncratic verses ("If I were a tree, I know what I'd taste . . . old, buried bones, and pebbles and stones") read aloud well with lilting rhythm and thoughtful rhyme. With enchanting visuals, this contemplative picture book demonstrates not only what nature can offer but also the reward of new perspectives.

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April 5, 2021
In this sensory rhyming narrative, two parents—one brown-skinned and one light-skinned—and their two children, who each take after one of the adults, pack their bags and head out of the city to a camping site. Through a first-person perspective, Zimmerman centers the children’s imaginations as they explore the outdoors, utilizing the refrain “if I were a tree” in evocative rhymes that follow each of the senses. For sight: “If I were a tree, I know what I’d see./ Hills misty with fog, the life in a log.” Tsong’s colorfully layered, stamped landscapes, created using traditional printmaking techniques and digital collage, enhance the appeal of this tree-focused venture that will encourage young readers to meditate upon nature. Back matter contains a brief guide to exploring trees with each of the five senses. Ages 4–8.