Another Way to Climb a Tree

Lulu climbs trees fearlessly, even “the trees that trap cats and the trees that catch kites and the trees that other kids won’t climb.” Her skill is almost magical: “When Lulu sees a climbing tree, she’s here, and then she’s gone, just like that.” (She’s seen in front of the tree then, in the next instant, high in its branches.) When Lulu gets sick, she has to stay indoors, and she mourns—until she sees the shadow of a tree on her bedroom wall and finds a new way to climb. Hooper (A Small Thing... but Big) fills the pages with rough bark and sprays of lush leaves, suffusing the spreads with the sense of age and awe that old trees offer. She doesn’t skimp on color, either, deploying sunlit golds, bay laurel greens, and moonlit blues. Though Scanlon (In the Canyon) spends quite some time on Lulu’s disappointment, her lyrical prose celebrates an evergreen childhood activity and envisions a way that imagination can offer comfort when reality is hard to bear. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Marlena Torzecka, Marlena Agency. (Aug.) [/em]