A review by antlersantlers
It's My Tree by Olivier Tallec
3.0
This rating/review is based on an advanced copy from Netgalley and Kids Can Press.
This book is a story about a squirrel who is totally obsessed with a tree. He doesn't want to share with anyone, and takes his desire for exclusivity to extraordinary lengths. This book is a bit funny and also a bit serious, but not quite enough of either. There's a lot to talk about, but none of that happens in the book itself. The entire onus for meaning and discovery lies with the reader. I'm not necessarily opposed to that, but I prefer a little more narrative meat on the bones.
It has a "metaphor about borders and migration" thing, but in a way that isn't super helpful. I'm definitely a bit tired of the animal-metaphor-for-human-action. There is a tendency in some children's books (and perhaps other books too, but I basically only read kids' stuff) to be so general in attempt to be relatable that it makes it completely unrelatable and irrelevant. It sometimes seems counterintuitive but specificity makes stories a lot more relatable, relevant, and human.
This book is a story about a squirrel who is totally obsessed with a tree. He doesn't want to share with anyone, and takes his desire for exclusivity to extraordinary lengths. This book is a bit funny and also a bit serious, but not quite enough of either. There's a lot to talk about, but none of that happens in the book itself. The entire onus for meaning and discovery lies with the reader. I'm not necessarily opposed to that, but I prefer a little more narrative meat on the bones.
It has a "metaphor about borders and migration" thing, but in a way that isn't super helpful. I'm definitely a bit tired of the animal-metaphor-for-human-action. There is a tendency in some children's books (and perhaps other books too, but I basically only read kids' stuff) to be so general in attempt to be relatable that it makes it completely unrelatable and irrelevant. It sometimes seems counterintuitive but specificity makes stories a lot more relatable, relevant, and human.