Cover Image

The happiest tree : a story of growing up

by Yi, Hyŏn-ju (Illustrator),

Format: Print Book 2019
Availability: Available at 2 Libraries 2 of 3 copies

Available (2)
Location Collection Call #
Bridgeville Public Library Picture Books JUV E LEE
Location  Bridgeville Public Library
 
Collection  Picture Books
 
Call Number  JUV E LEE
 
 
Northland Public Library Children's Picture Books J PIC YI
Location  Northland Public Library
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  J PIC YI
 
 
 
Unavailable (1)
Location Collection Status
Jefferson Hills Public Library Easy Fiction ON HOLDSHELF
Location  Jefferson Hills Public Library
 
Collection  Easy Fiction
 
Status  ON HOLDSHELF
 
 

Summary

Author/artist Hyeon-Ju Lee's The Happiest Tree is a wonderfully emotional story of life and growing up that will pull at the heartstrings of readers.

Over the years, the gingko tree that resides outside an apartment building has seen many things.

When it was ten, sounds of the Rose piano class filled the ground floor and whistled through its young branches.

At fourteen, a growth spurt year, it met Mr. Artist on the second floor whose muse was the tree itself.

As the years continue on, the tree encounters many people in the apartment building making memories. Some are happy, some are sad--they're all part of growing up. All part of who we will be in the future.

Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "For the tree narrator, time passes slowly. At age 10, the tree and its friends, the birds and the cats, enjoy the beautiful music of the Rose piano class on the ground floor of the neighboring apartment building. By age 14, the tree is excited to see itself represented by Mr. Artist, the resident on the second floor, who has painted details and full-length portraits of it in all seasons. At age 17, the tree enjoys watching the Kong family's active puppies through the third-floor window. When it views a lonely grandmother on the fourth floor, its branches droop in sympathy, seen through drops of a blue-gray rainfall. Moon, stars, and shadowy reflections pass as the tree thinks about space, time, and loneliness. But finally, at full maturity, the tree rises above the building, sees the other trees, and becomes the happiest ginko in town. The vertical trim-size mirrors the growing tree and showcases Korean author-illustrator Lee's expressive artwork. The soft pastels of each page reflect the emotions in growing up.--Lolly Gepson Copyright 2019 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "A ginkgo narrates this pensive story about passing time, connection, and perspective: "I moved to this building when I was ten years old," it explains. As it grows, it comes to know the building's residents, including an artist who has created a painting of the tree: "for the first time ever, I could see myself." In Lee's airy, sensitive art, readers regard the tree's moods and emotional states throughout the seasons and years: "My times with the Kong family were some of the happiest of my life," the tree says, its leaves cascading over a family and its dogs. When the tree is 20, it reaches the apartment of a lonely elderly woman, and it feels sad. Lee's conclusion, however, is heartening, as the tree grows tall enough to see others: "I am the happiest ginkgo tree in my town." Lee conveys a wise and true sentiment through the protagonist: in any life will come both periods of transition and moments of unexpected joy. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Ginkgo -- Growth -- Juvenile fiction.
Trees -- Juvenile fiction.
Experience -- Juvenile fiction.
Ginkgo -- Fiction.
Trees -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Feiwell and Friends,2019
Edition First American edition.
Other Titles Na much'ŏrŏm.
Language English
Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 31 cm
ISBN 9781250145673
1250145678
Other Classic View