Another Way to Climb a Tree
by Liz Garton Scanlon; illus. by Hadley Hooper
Preschool, Primary    Porter/Roaring Brook    40 pp.
8/17    978-1-62672-352-8    $17.99

Lulu likes trees. No, Lulu loves trees. Lulu climbs the tallest trees in the neighborhood with the widest branches and the stickiest sap. Lulu’s tree-loving joy jumps off the pages through Scanlon’s warm words and Hooper’s simple but luscious illustrations. Deft strokes on muted backgrounds of apricot, beige, pink, and blue bring Lulu to life — here she is with leaves in her hair, hugging her special tree while the tree-dwelling critters check her out; there she is high, high up as her friends crane their necks to get a better view. When Lulu gets chickenpox and is confined to her room, her longing is palpable: she misses the trees, and they miss her. In fact, the whole neighborhood misses her: a tiny puppy looks up in a vain attempt to find Lulu; birds wait expectantly for her; even her polka-dotted boots (which just so happen to match her chickenpox-dotted skin) sit lonely on her bedroom floor. Lulu spends her days of confinement looking out the window, longing for her tree. When she finally turns away from her window, she sees a huge shadow on her wall — the shadow of her favorite tree. Lulu knows just what to do, and she finds a whole new way to climb her tree (hint: it involves imagination). Young tree lovers (and all children are tree lovers!) will want to join Lulu in her passionate, tree-filled life.

From the July/August 2017 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.