If I Were a Tree

Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education
Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Two siblings journey into the woods in a tender story of branching out and new growth from acclaimed writer Andrea Zimmerman and New York Times bestselling illustrator Jing Jing Tsong.

If I were a tree, I know how I'd be.
My trunk strong and wide, my limbs side to side,
I'd stand towering tall, high above all,
My leaves growing big, and buds on each twig.
If I were a tree, that's how I'd be.

The sister has camped in the forest many times before. The brother is nervous for his first overnight trip. As the illustrations in this multifaceted picture book show the siblings discovering the woods, the text celebrates the strength and grace of the trees that surround them, through evocative verse that speaks to all five senses:

If I were a tree, I know what I'd smell.
Sweet honey and bees, and skunk on the breeze.
I'd smell smoke in the air, the breath of a bear,
Old fungus decay, and rain on the way.
If I were a tree, that's what I'd smell.

And with this new knowledge, the siblings are able to overcome their greatest challenge yet. Together, Andrea Zimmerman's wise poem and Jing Jing Tsong's kaleidoscopic art show how connections with the natural world can inspire us to live fully in the present and look hopefully to the future.

Author: Andrea Zimmerman
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Published: 04/06/2021
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.06lbs
Size: 10.30h x 10.20w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781620148013
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/15/2021 pg. 62
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2021
Publishers Weekly 04/05/2021
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2021 pg. 101

About the Author

Andrea Zimmerman is the author of thirteen picture books, including Train Man, Fire Engine Man, Digger Man, Trashy Town, and Dig!. Her books have been named Children's Book-of-the-Month Club and ALA Notable books, and have received multiple starred reviews. Married to artist David Clemesha, who illustrates many of her titles, she lives in San Diego, California. You can visit her website at andreaanddavid.com.

Jing Jing Tsong's debut picture book, A Bucket of Blessings, written by Kabir and Surishtha Sehgal, was a New York Times bestseller. She is well-known for her multilayered, textured illustrations in books like Trees, Before We Met, and Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear. A musician and surfer as well as an artist, she lives on an island in Washington State. Find her on the web at jingjingtsong.com.