Beatrice Was a Tree

Beatrice, a pink-skinned child with faded indigo hair, conjures a verdant life in this faintly fantastical picture book by author-illustrator Hesselberth. Hanging upside down from a branch in a grove of trees, Beatrice frowns when an unidentified voice yells, "Beatrice, time for bed!" What follows is a seemingly Kafkaesque transformation as Beatrice's arm stretches into a leafy branch, her face melds into bark, and she becomes a tall and bird-filled tree, then experiences the seasons. Beatrice's narrative comprises descriptive prose and short sentences: "The air turned sweet and crisp./ Beatrice's leaves put on a magic/ show as summer turned to fall." Bright art done in watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and digital collage beguilingly trace the girl's change, as well as the tree's seasonal transformations. A surprising ending rounds out this informative tale. Back matter includes tree facts. Ages 4-8. (May)

K-Gr 2--Look at the trees. Beginning with labeled leaf shapes on end pages, the reader's eye moves on to stylized folk art images of trees and the fluid movements of fair-skinned, dark-haired Beatrice as she climbs a tree, hangs upside down, and briefly tries to ignore the call to come in for the night. She can easily visualize staying outside the full night: "If I were a tree...." Her arms grow into tree shape with trunk and bark, with branches and leaves that move with the breeze. Birds catch the morning sun, squirrels appear, followed by caterpillars, deer, spiders, and a sleepy owl. The tree then sends roots to burrow into soil with earthworms, chipmunks, vole, and mice. As Beatrice dreams of her tree, each page brings the reader a new seasonal digital collage with watercolor, acrylic, and gouache, ending with brief simple sentences and the quiet of fallen snow. An infographic page emphasizes how animals use trees, including a labeled diagram of tree parts, the seasons, an explanation of photosynthesis, and encouragement to plant. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for all libraries, the book is a lovely art tribute to the beauty of trees through Beatrice's dream--interrupted by a persistent voice and the annoying final call, "Beatrice, Bed! Now!"--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX