This was a recent happy library find. It's a book called Tom's Tree by Gillian Shields and illustrated by Gemma Raynor. This book touches on the wonder of childhood, where the impossible is possible, where one sees the extraordinary in the ordinary. You meet a young Tom as he is planting a tree. It's just a seed and his older brother says it will never grow, much like the storyline of The Carrot Seed. But Tom doesn't let his brother discourage him rather he dreams of what his tree will be; beautiful, full of life and adventure. The story also takes you on a tale of growing up as Tom and his tree both grow as the years pass by. It's a very sweet tale with a melt my heart finish. The illustrations are full of fun fanciful details and lots of whimsy, just like I like them.
Here's a little mix media three dimensional art project we did along with this book. We made our very own trees out of paint, tissue paper, beads, pipe cleaners, toilet paper rolls, glitter and a paper plate for the base.
