“Nestled
in the branches of a tree,
Arlo
opened his book and breathed in.
“Beginnings
were always the best part.
They
smelled as if anything were possible.”
I
illustrated The Book Tree, written by
Paul Czajak – a wonderful story about a boy who sits on the branches of a tree
to read. When one of his books falls on the Mayor’s head, the Mayor decides to
tear up every book in town – with disastrous consequences for teachers and
their students, chefs and their restaurants, actors and their theatres and of
course, libraries.
But
then there was a miracle: “a sprout springing from where the page had been
buried. It began to open its leaves. It reached for Arlo’s words, begging for
more.” Pretty soon, Arlo was imagining and writing stories about giants and
swans and fire-breathing beasts.
“People
grew hungry for reading again. Some wrote their own stories and became book
gardeners themselves.”
Even
the Mayor finally shared the wonder of books.
My
illustrations feature oil paint, ink and collages. I used natural materials to
bring depth and contrast to my drawings,
like using real feathers, pieces of wood, fabrics and metals to make the
collages more tangible.
People
of the town have different skin tones with blue hair or mustaches. They look
funny and whimsical. The book tree
itself is been printed with golden ink to give it a magical shine. The books
that actually grow on the tree branches are in different languages.
The Book Tree can inspire student writing and
even turn a whole school into book gardeners – limited only by your
imagination.
Here
are a few ideas to get started:
1
– Have students draw a book tree full of
their favorite books.
2
– The teacher can draw a tree and each
student draw or attach his/her favorite book to it.
3
– Draw the Mayor and Arlo as friends, reading a book together – or have
students write a paragraph about what books the Mayor and Arlo enjoyed reading
together. Perhaps they could even write a story together.
4
– Look at the illustrations in the book and find places where materials other
than paint and paper have been used.
Make your own collage with lots of different materials.
The
motto of publisher Barefoot Books is to “step inside a story.” What stories would your students like to step
inside? The Book Tree celebrates the themes Barefoot Books seeks to
highlight: “encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning and
respect for the world’s diversity.”
