Maple

Debut talent Nichols explores the relationship between a girl and the tree she's named after, planted by her parents in her honor. It's less a story than a string of affectionate reminiscences: "And even though Flavia, Millie Jane, Lena, Lily, and Constance were all good names... Maple was the perfect fit." Maple sings and dances for her tree and offers her coat to it when it loses its leaves. In return, the tree offers shade, "and its leaves would dance just for her." A new sapling appears along with a new baby sister, Willow, whom Maple is old enough to welcome without jealousy. Nichols draws Maple as a sort of everygirl, with pin-dot eyes, a pert nose, and a curved line for a smile; her tree and its surroundings are similarly generalized. The narrator's voice, by contrast, has its own distinctive, understated humor: "Then something really surprising happened," one page reads, as Maple notices her mother's bulging middle for the first time. An exploration of different kinds of love and different kinds of acceptance. Ages 3-5. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Feb.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1--Readers will fall in love with Maple, whose parents planted a tree in her honor when she was "still a whisper." Each page turn shows the child growing, playing, and seeking refuge under her leafy companion. She sometimes longs for the friendship of someone who can play with her ("The tree wasn't very good at throwing snowballs") and wonders if the tree feels the same way. One day, Maple is surprised to realize that there's a sapling growing next to her tree, and she soon discovers that a sibling of her very own is on the way. The crispness of Nichols's lush, leafy illustrations on each thick white page helps Maple's adventures around the little sapling stand out. This may be Nichols's debut picture book, but the only thing green about this effort is the perfect shade of a maple leaf. This is a fresh addition to the standard new sibling fare, and young naturalists will identify with Maple's adventurous and tender spirit.--Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

* "Sweet debut. . . . Free-spirited, bracing sessions of solitary, outdoor fun. . . . Here's a child's world, where . . . private reverie recurs as an all-consuming pastime. . . . Maple, sweetly nondescript . . . could easily sit next to any young reader at preschool or day care. Leaf rubbings (from real maple leaves!) dazzle. . . . An arboreal homage perfect for children reveling in alone time or reeling with a new sibling's arrival." — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"The narrator's voice . . . has its own distinctive, understated humor. . . . An exploration of different kinds of love and different kinds of acceptance." — Publishers Weekly

* "Readers will fall in love with Maple. . . . Lush, leafy illustrations. . . . This is a fresh addition to the standard new sibling fare, and young naturalists will identify with Maple's adventurous and tender spirit." — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW