It seems as though autumn has stalled. Mother Nature does not want to replace milder temperatures with bitter cold. There have been the typical wild winds and torrents of rain, but the trees are clinging to their green and their leaves. The annual burst of oranges, reds, and yellows have only recently been on display. In the last two days, finally, the leaves have blanketed yards, sidewalks, and streets. The familiar swish and crunch now follow you when walking through neighborhoods.
The majestic trees lining roads and populating nearby forests are getting ready to rest. It is in times like this gratitude for trees is, or should be, foremost in our minds. With respect to those trees lost this year in wildfires, we must not forget the impact on us and the fauna and flora in those woodlands. Hello, Tree (Little, Brown and Company, September 14, 2021) written by Ana Crespo with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk, inspired by the 2013 Black Forest fire, speaks through the voice of a tree about tragedy and hope.
I met the girl when
she was a baby . . .
and I was just a sapling.
As both grew, they shared moments together. The child sought the tree for steadiness, play, comfort and companionship. The tree did have other friends living in the forest.
One summer night, the lives of the tree and the girl were interrupted. The animal alarm spread through the forest. Fire! Many animals, of all sizes and shapes, left along with the girl and her family. The tree had no such choice.
Smoke like the blackest of clouds filled the sky. Fortunately, for the tree, help came as firefighters fought back the flames on the land and in the air. The battle against the blaze finally ended after many days and nights.
In the wake of the devastation was silence. Gradually, the silence was filled with the return of people, the girl, clean-up crews, and some animals. Seasons passed. Renewal was slow in the forest, but the girl, becoming a young woman, went away. The tree did have other friends living in the forest but . . .
Hello, tree.
With simple, truthful and eloquent sentences, author Ana Crespo tells a universal story of the relationship between humans and nature, and of hardship and healing. Through the tree we sense the world in togetherness and aloneness and in sensory descriptions of color and sound. There are only a few phrases of dialogue, but a recurring mention of wishes and stars ties portions of the narrative together beautifully. Here is a passage.
Wait as roaring flames breathed smoke into the sky.
And left only a single star to wish upon.
The depiction shown on the front, right, of the open dust jacket continues on the other side of the spine. The smoky orange of the sky suggests the recent fire. The girl is as glad to see her tree as the tree is to see the girl. The visible remnants of the flames are shown in the blackened tree trunks and the destroyed house with the chimney remaining. On the back, left, two deer stand close to portions of the forest not in the path of the flames. In front and around them are burned tree trunks.
On the book case, we are presented with an elevated view of the forest. A spring green meadow is framed by trees in back and in front of it. A stream winds along the back edge of the meadow. Several trees stand apart and to the right of the meadow. Deer graze on either side of the stream. Two birds glide in the pale blue sky. This forest is pristine.
On the opening endpapers, on a background of marbled tan, is a pattern composed of birds, butterflies, moths, pinecones, pine branches, flowers (wild and in garden containers), rabbits, squirrels, beetles, a bee, a feather, red ribbons, a mouse, a mailbox, a birdfeeder and three blue eggs in a nest. Can you notice them inside the book? On the closing endpapers among a tranquil forest setting is About This Book (publication information), References, and an Author's Note.
Artist Dow Phumiruk begins her pictorial interpretation on the dedication and title pages with a double-page picture. It's a view of the girl's house in a grove surrounded by the forest. Her illustrations, two-page images, smaller illustrations grouped on a single page, and single-page visuals were rendered
with Photoshop and include scanned watercolor and pencil textures.
They heighten the text through her adept use of light and shadow and shifting perspectives. During the fire she carefully portrays the scenes of displaced people amid the scenes of the fire and the firefighters. The bird's eye view, a two-page image, of the destruction after the fire is deeply moving.
One of my many favorite illustrations is a close-up view of the animals fleeing the fire. In this two-page picture on the left, the tree with its signature red ribbon still tied from dress-up with the girl is seen. A chick-a-dee flies overhead as a bear, rabbit, and mouse race rapidly to the right. On the right side a buck and raccoon are nearly off the page. Several tree trunks and piney branches are behind them as a larger bird soars in the distance. You get a real sense of urgency. You want to tell them to run, run, run.
Every year our knowledge of trees and their abilities increases. To have this book, Hello, Tree written by Ana Crespo with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk, told through the tree's point of view brings us into the heart of this event. Two pages at the close of the book provide additional information and smaller framed illustrations under the headings of Fire Begins, Firefighters To The Rescue, Shortly After The Fire, The First Spring And The Benefits Of Fire, Some Springs Later, and Many Springs Later. Numerous themes are woven into this title making it an excellent addition to your personal and professional collections.
To discover more about Ana Crespo and Dow Phumiruk and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites. Ana Crespo has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Dow Phumiruk has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Ana Crespo is interviewed at Cynsations, the site of Cynthia Leitich Smith. On December 2, 2021 Ana Crespo and Dow Phumiruk will be in an event hosted by John Schumacher at the Bookelicious site. It is a free, but you are requested to register.
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