"Just like all trees might do when, they are caught by awful bad weather, Though uprooted, injured, supine and undone-will just sprout another one."
Where is Your Tree, Grandma? by K. Monica West Smith Trafford Publishing
book review by Maggie Harding
"Just like all trees might do when, they are caught by awful bad weather, Though uprooted, injured, supine and undone-will just sprout another one."
Years ago when someone was acting goofy, people would say: She's out of her tree. The title of this book suggests this slant, but Grandma is not out of her tree. In fact, Grandma is trying to teach Tia and Scia a little about life and nature in her own inimitable way.
She points out two beautiful maple trees and gives one to each of the children.causing them to ask "Where is your tree, Grandma? " To answer their question they begin looking for a suitable tree for Grandma.
Using both rhyming poetry and lyrical prose, Grandma takes the children on a nature walk, calling the trees by name and describing their characteristics. "Well, how about that bright silver birch right by the gate, or that beautiful oval-shaped elm, so thick and so dense, and what about that huge ash growing there by the fence?" She seems to be likening the attributes of the trees to the various qualities that make each person unique. This is her subtle and useful way to help children come to their own understanding of life and values.
Where is Your Tree, Grandma? was written and illustrated by Ms. West in a sincere effort to honor both the relatives that preceded her and the generations that will follow her. It is obvious that she has a tender heart toward her own grandchildren and that comes through in her book.