My Tree

Transcending time and place, this gentle book will take root in many hearts.

It's not a person or an animal who comforts Lim's (I Am a Bird) child narrator, who has newly arrived in the United States from Korea. It's a tree outside the new home's back door--one with a graceful trunk and strong branches that are full of plums--that "reminded me of the persimmon tree that shaded our porch in Korea." Named Plumee by the child, the tree offers something in every season: blossoms, shade, fruit, and beauty. And then a storm fells it. "An old tree knows how to lie down when it's time," the child's grandmother back in Korea says, a phrase that helps the child confront loss and gain comfort. Na (That's My Carrot) gives this quiet story heft and drama with bold, crisped-edged forms; saturated hues; and feathery details. The spreads flow into each other, carrying much of the story's emotional weight. Lim, meanwhile, crafts this story with a tree-scale sense of time, paying homage to an arboreal marker of the past and offering hope that stretches out into the future. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Tanusri Prasanna, Foundry Literary + Media. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (May)

A young South Korean boy, new to America, moves with his parents and dog into a house with a "tall, crooked, quiet" plum tree in the backyard. He names it Plumee, waters it, and grows to love the tree as it is a great place to hide and it offers shade, blossoms, soothing noise in the wind, and delicious purple plums. Through four seasons, Plumee helps stave off the child's homesickness as it reminds him of a tree he knew in his homeland. One night a terrible storm knocks over many trees in the city and Plumee is one of them. The child is sad to lose his close companion but he and the neighborhood kids use their imaginations to turn the fallen tree into a ship, an island, and a rocket until it has to be cut up and removed from the yard. His understanding parents soon plant a young plum tree in the same spot and the child quietly introduces himself to the new occupant. Colorful digital illustrations are filled with small details and reveal the massive tree and the child's love for it. VERDICT This tale of a boy's devotion and regard for the natural world is quietly endearing, and the young protagonist will be a comfort to others who have said goodbye to home.—Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI