lispylibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
The Book Tree is a fun story about what can happen when all books are taken away. Arlo accidentally drops a book on the mayor of his town's head while he is reading in a tree and as a result, the mayor takes all of the books in town and tears them up into tiny pieces. One tiny piece is all that is left of them and Arlo watches it get buried in the dirt.
Arlo observes his town fall apart as there are no books left. There are no cookbooks, so the restaurant can only serve dry cereal, the actors at the theatre have no plays to act out, and the library-Arlo's favorite place in town-is completely empty. Finally, Arlo decides to write his own stories and grow his own book tree. Arlo saves the town as it flourishes once again thanks to books!
This book is gorgeous! The illustrations are like I've never seen before as they are whimsical and the people are not drawn as "white." I really enjoyed this picture book and I think that it will be welcome in all libraries. It would be especially fun to read during Banned Books Week in September.
The Book Tree will be published September 30, 2018 by Barefoot Books.
https://lispylibrarian.weebly.com/lispy-librarian-vlog-blog/the-book-tree-by-paul-czajak-review
msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Oh the power of words. There are those who think to quiet what they say.....but really......words are just the beginning
scostner's review against another edition
4.0
Arlo just wants to enjoy his book, but when he accidentally drops it on the mayor's head, it starts a big change. The mayor gathers all the books and rips them up, because they stir up ideas. The difference is noticed all over town; restaurants have no cookbooks for delicious recipes, teachers have no texts to use at school, everyone is sad. But a single page had floated away during the destruction and "When it landed, the muddy earth swallowed it letter by letter." As Arlo begins to write his own stories, that buried page sends up a shoot that grows and grows until it is tree with branches full of books. Once the townspeople rediscover the joy of books, the town comes back to life. Even the mayor learns the importance of books and how they act as seeds to make things better.
The artwork is just as whimsical as the idea of book pages floating through the air like dandelion seeds. Oil paints and collage work together to create scenes of the rolypoly mayor in striped pants and coat (resembling a walking beach ball) and Arlo in his jaunty beret. The pages the mayor rips up are covered in text from many different languages, and the same sort of words appear on the leaves of the book tree as they unfurl. Without explicitly saying anything, those words reveal the universal appeal of stories and books.
The action of Arlo writing his own stories when other books were out of reach is a great lesson for young readers. Even when books have been destroyed, he finds a way to bring them back for himself and the rest of the town. A discussion of comparing and contrasting the town when the books are gone and the way it looks as the book tree brings hope back would have readers searching the illustrations for details to point out. Looking for favorite phrases would also be a great activity. My favorite is probably, "Arlo opened his book and breathed in." Book lovers everywhere will recognize that habit, inhaling the scent of pages and ink and possibility.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through edelweiss.
The artwork is just as whimsical as the idea of book pages floating through the air like dandelion seeds. Oil paints and collage work together to create scenes of the rolypoly mayor in striped pants and coat (resembling a walking beach ball) and Arlo in his jaunty beret. The pages the mayor rips up are covered in text from many different languages, and the same sort of words appear on the leaves of the book tree as they unfurl. Without explicitly saying anything, those words reveal the universal appeal of stories and books.
The action of Arlo writing his own stories when other books were out of reach is a great lesson for young readers. Even when books have been destroyed, he finds a way to bring them back for himself and the rest of the town. A discussion of comparing and contrasting the town when the books are gone and the way it looks as the book tree brings hope back would have readers searching the illustrations for details to point out. Looking for favorite phrases would also be a great activity. My favorite is probably, "Arlo opened his book and breathed in." Book lovers everywhere will recognize that habit, inhaling the scent of pages and ink and possibility.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through edelweiss.
academianut's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful book, especially for banned books week, showcasing the power of books and the dangers of censorship, but finding hope in the continual fight of writers to keep creating and writing their own work. Though the message is strong, the book is not at all preachy - instead, it's a great character story about a boy who loves books, finds a way to write to overcome a book-banning mayor's hostility, and in magical realism style, creates a tree which sprouts new books.
kristinajean's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
A great book to discuss censorship and imagination. A little wordy, but clever illustrations and use of books for art.
A great book to discuss censorship and imagination. A little wordy, but clever illustrations and use of books for art.
gargamela's review
3.0
I got this for the illustrations which are simply wonderful and for the fact that it is a book about books and I can't resist that. However, the plot is definitely slow and would probably not be appealing to children. Also, how in the hell did the mayor succeed in getting rid of all the books without anyone else expect Arlo making a fuss about it. I know this is a book that inspires children and teaches them that the power of stories cannot be stopped by governmental action, but the plot is entirely implausible. How did the mayor not realize that his ban on books was being challenged and how did he change his mind so quickly at the end? This is not how censorship works and not how democracies/dictatorships work, so either make it more difficult for the mayor to censor books or make it more difficult for Arlo to bring back books. Making it more difficult to bring back books would have also made the plot a bit more engaging.
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