April 15, 2021 12:16 pm
by Maria Gianferrari
Happy Spring! I am delighted to be here on Tara’s blog today to celebrate my newest picture book, BE A TREE!, illustrated by the phenomenal Felicita Sala, and published by Abrams Kids!
BE A TREE! invites readers to imagine themselves as trees—stretching our branches to the sun, feeling rooted and connected to life underground, letting our crowns swing in the wind.
So, here we go! If you could be a tree, which kind of tree would you be?
A baobob?
A palm?
Or perhaps one of the trees featured in these beautiful endpapers?
To be a redwood—imagine all the things she has seen?
Here I am a Redwood National Park back in 2011—what a magical place it is!
Thanks, Maria! If I could be a tree, I’d be a Paperbark, so I’d always have something to write on! I actually have some River Birch trees outside my bedroom window. Sometimes I want to lean out and grab a piece of their natural paper.
Thanks to the generosity of Abrams Kids, one lucky blog reader will receive a copy of BE A TREE! (US residents only—sorry!)
So, while I think almost everyone reading this blog would also choose a paper birch, I have to ask you to think again. If you could BE A TREE!, what tree would YOU be?
Leave one comment below and a random winner will be selected next month.
Good luck!
Maria Gianferrari has climbed fig trees in Italy, stood under stately coastal redwoods and twisted Torrey pines, marveled at mitten-shaped sassafras leaves, colorful coral trees and sawtooth oak acorn nests. She lives with her family, including dog, Maple, in a house encircled by trees. Visit her online at mariagianferrari.com.
Posted by Tara Lazar
Categories: Picture Books
Tags: Abrams Kids, BE A TREE, Felicita Sala, Maria Gianferarri
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What a clever way to get kids to think about trees and nature, and to inspire the next generation of tree huggers!
By Laura Perdew on April 15, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Thanks, Laura! We need many more tree huggers!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:16 pm
I would be a willow tree because they are able to bend and not break. I would love to be able to drink up everything around me and share it with others as they rest beneath my curtain of branches and stems.
By Ruth Miller on April 15, 2021 at 12:22 pm
I think I’ll be a sugar maple so kids can make syrup from my sap.
By Bethanny Parker on April 15, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Yum! I grew up in NH across the street from a maple sugar house, so I too am a sugar maple fan 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:16 pm
Congratulations Maria and Felicita! Your book is tree-mendous!
I’d be an oak because it’s fun to watch squirrels feast on acorns!
By Cathy Ballou Mealey on April 15, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Thanks, my punny friend :). Squirrels are the stars of your books 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:18 pm
I know I wrote this on your Twitter post, but I wanted to make it official on the blog:
I would be a heritage oak because I’m twisty, unique and I get better with age!
By Genevieve Gorback on April 15, 2021 at 12:24 pm
I’m unfamiliar with heritage oaks, Genevieve–I will look them up 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:19 pm
I’d be a willow tree – with a swing hanging from a lower branch.
By Kristin Crouch on April 15, 2021 at 12:25 pm
Willows are so elegant 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:19 pm
I would like to be a Willow Tree, as I love their sweeping branches and leaves.
By Elise Katz on April 15, 2021 at 12:27 pm
Two willow fans in a row!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:19 pm
Yay for Maria’s newest book! I’d be a tree-mendous oak like the one in my front yard that triplet bear cubs climbed.
By Nancy Furstinger on April 15, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Wow! How cool is that, Nancy?! Did you get any photos?
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:19 pm
reminds me of dance classes “…. let’s be trees!”” a la Isadora Duncan!
By marsha weiner on April 15, 2021 at 12:29 pm
🙂 🙂 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:20 pm
I’d want to be a ginkgo tree, with golden fan shaped leaves that I can wave at passers-by.
By hannahtuohyillustration on April 15, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Such pretty fan-shaped leaves. I love how the branches look when they’re bare too
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:20 pm
I cannot wait to read this one!
By katiemillsgiorgio on April 15, 2021 at 12:32 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:20 pm
I want to be a fruit tree. I’ll look good, smell
great and provide food
By Elyse Trevers on April 15, 2021 at 12:32 pm
What kind? So many to choose from!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:21 pm
I love this! Congratulations!
By Claire A. B. Freeland on April 15, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Thanks, Claire!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Perhaps a crabapple like the one in my yard. It’s got beautiful pinkish red blossoms in the spring, it’s sturdy, and it’s low enough to the ground so that young children can easily reach its lowest branches.
By Rebecca on April 15, 2021 at 12:36 pm
They do have pretty blossoms, Rebecca 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:21 pm
This book looks amazing, congratulations Maria! What a great extension question for a read-aloud. I’d be a palm tree so I could be in a warm climate and finally grow tall.
By kskeesling on April 15, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Palms are lovely 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm
This sounds so fun and informative!
By Catherine Brewer on April 15, 2021 at 12:38 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Wonderful way to teach kids about trees!! I’d want to be a weeping willow tree so kids can play with my twigs or weave baskets. I’d be flexible and protective – plus I’d provide Aspirin for fewer headaches 🙂
By Antje on April 15, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Another willow fan. Are you German, or of German descent, Antje?
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Congratulations Maria! This book looks beautiful. I am in love with trees. :-). I would be a weeping willow. I had one in my yard when I was growing up and it providing such great shade for laying down and reading a great book.
By LAURA BOWER on April 15, 2021 at 12:40 pm
Lots of weeping willow fans here, Laura–I can see why. They’re lovely to look at and give off such a cozy vibe.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Perhaps I’d like to be a sugar maple tree that promises sweet treats in spring, a spreading canopy for birds all year round, and shade for weary folks under the hot summer sun.
By mariearden on April 15, 2021 at 12:40 pm
Sugar maples are beautiful all year round. I love their fall colors! I grew up in NH across the street from a sugar maple house! Such wonderful sugary smells wafting around!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:24 pm
I would be a mango tree!
By Brenda Huante on April 15, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Yum!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:24 pm
I LOVE LOVE LOVE ALL TREES!!! Thank you for writing this book.
I too would be a Willow Tree. So graceful, gentle and welcoming. I used to meet with God in a willow tree when I was a little girl. They offer protection and soft beauty. The only thing I do not love about living in South Florida is that there are no willow trees.
By janicekayalexander on April 15, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Me too! Willows are definitely the top tree so far!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Looks beautiful! I would be a Japanese maple—so vivid and graceful.
By Beth N. on April 15, 2021 at 12:43 pm
They are lovely, Beth!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:16 pm
I would be a Cypress! I love their “knees.”
By carlislemalone on April 15, 2021 at 12:44 pm
How cool!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Ooh I love this idea for a PB and the anaologies to life! My son (4) loves trees, he always points things out and talks about them, or randomly names them (That’s a Heaven tree, that’s a Revin tree -he’s into rhymes as well, haha). He talks a lot about our “big old tree” in the backyard (a large Pin Cherry) and likes to look for Oak trees. I’ll have to get this one!
If I could be a tree..hmmm…that’s tough. I think I’d like to be an oak, with big stretching arms so families could picnic underneath or kids could climb. I love maples too and how they turn beautiful colors. Or trees whose leaves dance in the summer breeze like Tuliptrees and Aspens. Love the pic of the Redwoods, I would like to head out there someday and see them!
By Kristin Kolp on April 15, 2021 at 12:44 pm
What a sweetie!! I’m not surprised he’s a tree lover! There are so many great new tree books out now: Lita Judge’s The Wisdom of Trees, Corinna Luyken’s The Tree in Me, Alex Giardino’s Me + Tree, Juana Martinez-Neal’s Zonia’s Rain Forest, Hope Lim’s My Tree to name just a few 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:19 pm
Such a great book! I LOVE trees! Once, when we moved into a new house, the first year we planted 6 trees! (It was a very tiny yard.) If I could be a tree, I don’t know, so many choices… oak trees are awesome for the leaves and acorns, maple trees are gorgeous, apple trees give us tasty fruit, paper bark birch trees are awesome (Tara, I’ve used the paper to make rubber stamped cards). So, oh, I would be a giant evergreen pine tree in the forest! Congrats, Maria!
By Angie on April 15, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Thanks, Angie! I agree–it’s too hard to choose a favorite really.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Lots of great selections. Thanks, Angie!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:19 pm
If I could be a tree, I would be a palm tree so that I can sway so lightly above the waves crashing in the ocean, a Caribbean ocean.
By Laura on April 15, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Today I would choose to be a maple—source of delicious syrup and beautiful fall displays. This book looks gorgeous!
By Lynn Becker on April 15, 2021 at 12:46 pm
Lovely maples–so beautiful all year round1
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:26 pm
This looks like such a beautiful book! If I could be a tree, I would be one with low, thick, tangled branches that people could easily climb into with a book to read for hours!
By clearywriter on April 15, 2021 at 12:51 pm
Reading trees are the best 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:26 pm
I think I’d be one of the Blue Spruces I see out my window. They are a beautiful green/blue, but a bit prickly. I also love trees. Congratulations, Maria. I can hardly wait to read Be A Tree!
By Carol Gwin Nelson on April 15, 2021 at 12:53 pm
I hope you will enjoy it, Carol! They do have such a unique and beautiful color
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:26 pm
I can’t imagine climbing a fig tree, but I’d like to.
By Darlene Ivy on April 15, 2021 at 12:54 pm
It was in Italy, when I was a young girl. I couldn’t believe the fig fruit looked just like the fig newton man from the old commercials 😉
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:27 pm
I’d want to be an aspen, so I could sparkle in the wind.
By Amy Mann on April 15, 2021 at 12:56 pm
So beautiful in the fall!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:27 pm
Love this! I am fascinated by trees…especially the different types of root systems. I would be a Sugar Maple. They are extra special in the fall.
By Kathy Watson on April 15, 2021 at 12:56 pm
Agreed, Kathy! The root systems and fungi are so fascinating. I have a book on fungi coming out in 2023 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:28 pm
This sounds like such a lovely book!
I’d be a madrone tree. They grow in beautiful places and have such cool red smooth bark.
By Nora Nickum on April 15, 2021 at 12:58 pm
I will look that up! I don’t know what they look like, but I do love the name. Thanks, Nora ;).
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:28 pm
A timely post and book as I’m exploring the connections in my Omer Count today an my symbology are trees!
When I was a kid, we had a beautiful maple in my backyard. It was right out my window and so I watched it bloom in spring and flame in autumn. It was such a solid tree. Much as I love the cherry blossoms where I live now, I really miss that maple.
By Mishka Jaeger on April 15, 2021 at 1:01 pm
Maples are beautiful–so stately.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:29 pm
I would like to be saguaro – not technically a tree – a tree-like cactus. It stands tall and proud and is home to so many creatures – and live where many regular trees cannot. I can’t wait to read this book and give to my sister. She has had trees planted in her nieces and nephews birthday for over 40 years.
By svaisnoras on April 15, 2021 at 1:02 pm
Saguaro cacti are very cool! I hope you & your sister will enjoy it 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Love the comment that you’d be a paperbark! And baobabs are just awesome. Glad to see more books about nature and trees being published.
By Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS on April 15, 2021 at 1:05 pm
And underpants 😉
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:30 pm
I would be an old oak with wide spreading arms, sheltering birds, giving shade on hot summer days, and a limbs for kids to climb. This sounds like a wonderful book.
By gloriaamescua on April 15, 2021 at 1:05 pm
Sturdy oaks–they are lovely, Gloria.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:30 pm
I’d be You.
Wait, I mean Yew. If I could be a tree, I’d be a Yew…tree. That’s what I’d be.
Thank yew.
Wait, I mean you. Thank you.
By Meg B on April 15, 2021 at 1:06 pm
What a beautiful book! I recognized Felicia’s cover artwork from her collaboration with Dianne White (Green On Green)! If I were a tree I would be a Palo Verde and share my brilliant yellow blossoms with the world!
By Patricia Franz on April 15, 2021 at 1:06 pm
Thanks for helping me spread the tree love, Tara!! ❤ ❤ ❤
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:15 pm
Ooh, that’s a tough question. I love so many trees! My favorite tree is the Dogwood, but I love maples and willows and birches and oaks. And the baobab is awesome and the acacia reminds me of my childhood home. Maybe I can be a different type of tree every day, depending on what I need to do and who I need to be.
By Angela De Groot on April 15, 2021 at 1:16 pm
That sounds like a plan, Angela 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:31 pm
What a gorgeous, poignant book! As a Spring baby, I would be a magnolia tree, with bright, sturdy blossoms to welcome the warmer weather
By April Jones Prince on April 15, 2021 at 1:17 pm
Hi April!! Magnolias are lovely 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:21 pm
What a lovely book! I’d be an apple tree with blossoms in the spring, shade in the summer and apples in the fall.
By Christine Pinto on April 15, 2021 at 1:19 pm
Lovely all year round, and especially with apples!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:31 pm
I too LOVE trees. They are all wonderful! Giant Sequoias and Redwoods are so majestic. Birch trees are beautiful and useful. But I really fell hard (in love) with the Live Oaks of coastal Georgia – they stretch their branches out in a welcoming embrace inviting you to climb up to the heavens and survey hundreds of years of history from their lofty perspective.
By Jacquie Sewell on April 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Will look for them 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:31 pm
Love this! If I could be a tree, I would be a balsam fir! Ever green and smelling so fragrant and clean! Win win!! 😄🌲
By creationsbymit on April 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Best smell ever! Every day is Christmas
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:32 pm
I’d be a palo verde with its smooth green bark and beautiful golden blossoms!
By Marla Yablon on April 15, 2021 at 1:23 pm
I’ll have to look that one up too, Marla 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:32 pm
What fun! Trees are amazing. One of my favorites is the weeping willow with those long draping branches creating hidden and magic spaces. Maria, I love your books, and your beautiful writing is an inspiration for me. Congratulations. I can’t wait to read this book.
By tracivw on April 15, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Thank you for the kind words, Traci :). Willows are a popular choice here!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:33 pm
The artwork draws me in, and the words make me linger. A gorgeous book! Love all of the tree books that are coming out right now. They complement each other so well.
By Jilanne Hoffmann on April 15, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Thanks, Jilanne! Excited to read your books!!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:33 pm
I would be an olive tree because I might have seen Jesus walk under me and he may have stroked my trunk in a I-knew-you-as-a-pit kind of way. I would croon to him with leafy song in Gethsemane if I were an olive….oh and I’d sing Olive you…
By kiwijenny on April 15, 2021 at 1:25 pm
They are such a pretty shade of green.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Rainbow Eucalyptus
By Lauri Fortino on April 15, 2021 at 1:29 pm
I LOVE the smell of eucalyptus! So fresh & minty. I lived in San Diego for one year, and I miss that scent!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 1:34 pm
As strong as an oak and as flowing as a weeping willow. thank you for your story.
By TerriMichels on April 15, 2021 at 1:39 pm
Lovely, Terri 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:56 pm
I love all trees, but I’d choose to be an orange tree because the blossoms smell so good, and the fruit is delicious! We planted our first navel orange tree last year, and it has exactly ONE orange on it this year (still green)!
By Toni Weeks on April 15, 2021 at 1:40 pm
Congrats, Toni. I can smell that fresh citrus smell 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:57 pm
I just got this one with my library reserves! So lovely.
I would be a willow tree. We have several at least 80 years old with giant trunks and graceful, draping branches. Whimsical and dreamy.
By curryelizabeth on April 15, 2021 at 1:40 pm
I think willow is the most popular choice so far. Glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:57 pm
A Southern Live Oak!
By Jany Campana on April 15, 2021 at 1:42 pm
Have to look them up, Jany
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:58 pm
I still recognize some of those trees from when I was a kid. Too bad I didn’t have your book back then. Love the different leaf patterns to choose from different trees. Great book for Earth Day!
By readmybook2002 on April 15, 2021 at 1:43 pm
Thank you! Earth Day should be every day!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:58 pm
A Douglas fir….so that I’d be part of Christmas
By Linda Mitchell on April 15, 2021 at 1:43 pm
Such a wonderful smell!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 2:58 pm
I love this book concept. Congratulations! We make maple syrup so if I wasn’t a paper birth, I suppose I’m sweet enough to be a maple. Fun fact, you can tap birch trees and boil the sap down to make a syrup too. It actually makes a good “root” beer.
By srkckass on April 15, 2021 at 1:54 pm
I wasn’t aware of that! I love sugar maples 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I would be a blue spruce. My parents own a Christmas Tree farm and pine trees hold a special place in my heart.
By Stephanie Jalowiec on April 15, 2021 at 1:56 pm
A beautiful shade of blue-green!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:21 pm
A weeping willow! My daughter and I are huge tree fans. She even made up a special handshake she does with her favorite tree.
By Jenny Morales on April 15, 2021 at 2:07 pm
❤ ❤ ❤
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:02 pm
I live in the Rockies, and I would be an aspen tree. Every aspen is conneted to every other aspen in the grove, one enormous family, like my own family with five kids and their spouses and grandkids.
By Deborah Williams on April 15, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Yes! I read about that–so cool!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:02 pm
This book looks beautiful. I think I would be a birch. THey hold a special place in my heart.
By Mirka on April 15, 2021 at 2:22 pm
They are lovely! We have several white birches in our yard, and there are yellow birches in the woods nearby that are silvery and pretty.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Great way to get kids interested in trees!
I like apples.
By Alex Wagenblass on April 15, 2021 at 2:34 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:04 pm
A weeping willow for me–reaching up and then back to touch the earth. I had a favorite Grandmother Willow at our last home and I miss her.
By Sheryl Allen on April 15, 2021 at 2:38 pm
They do end up feeling like friends. Hope Lim has a new back yard tree book out called My Tree that’s lovely, with illustrations by Il Sung Na.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:05 pm
THIS looks Great!!! A book of my dreams! I must see it – and share it with some kids in my life! Trees are so amazing. (I can’t decide right now. Maple? Redwood? Fruit tree? Palm?
By Linda Bendor on April 15, 2021 at 2:43 pm
Then you must be a tree-lover, Linda 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:05 pm
Maria, congratulations on this beautiful book. I love the symbolism inherent in “reaching to the sky” and “breathe in the air and drink in the sun!”
If I could be a tree, I would be a maple tree–the kind that changes to a beautiful bright orange or brilliant red in the fall.
By Mary on April 15, 2021 at 2:43 pm
Mary the marvelous maple 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:06 pm
Maria – I love this concept so much! And the artwork is just perfect. If I had to be a tree, I would love to be a magnolia or a red maple or a Japanese cherry blossom tree in Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Walk. Sigh…
By Karla Valenti on April 15, 2021 at 2:48 pm
Hello Karla!! Lovely choices. We have some magnolias in our yard that are blossoming now. So pretty!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:06 pm
Oh, I’d be an almond tree. My grandmother had one in her backyard, and I have the happiest memories of shelling and eating almonds with her. (There’s lovely symbolism associated with almond trees, too.)
By janetfrencksheets on April 15, 2021 at 2:50 pm
How wonderful to have an almond in her back yard! In CA?
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Yes! Vallejo. There was also an orange tree and a lemon tree. And my own yard had black walnut trees. (I live in Alaska now, and I love it — but I sure wish we could grow some of those wonderful varieties.)
By janetfrencksheets on April 15, 2021 at 4:22 pm
I would have a hard time deciding what one leaf shape I could have, so put me down as a Sassafrass tree!.
By Susan Claus on April 15, 2021 at 2:51 pm
I love them too, and how they have three different leaf shapes. The mitten one is my favorite 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:08 pm
Your book sounds amazing, Maria! I would be a Gumbo Limbo tree. The bark peels off like skin. It would be like getting a facial every day! Gumbo Limbo trees are wind-resistant and there are a lot of them in Florida. Some people call them the “tourist tree” because of their red (like sunburn), peeling bark. 🙂
By Lori Dubbin on April 15, 2021 at 2:59 pm
They sound cool, Lori! I will have to look them up-they’re unknown to me.
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:08 pm
Thank you Maria! When I was a kindergarten teacher teaching a unit about trees, I used to give my students an assignment to draw themselves as the kind of tree they think they would be. Your book would have been a PERFECT lead-in to that activity! I predict your book will be loved by kindergarten teachers!
By Amy Grover on April 15, 2021 at 2:59 pm
what a fun lesson for them, Amy! I hope so–that would be lovely! There will be accompanying tree-ish activities coming soon–on Earth Day!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:09 pm
I do love me a tulip poplar tree!
By Bonnie Auslander on April 15, 2021 at 3:03 pm
They have pretty leaves!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:10 pm
I’d be an acacia in Botswana. Giraffes can nibble away at me, and I’ll attract bees for bee eaters. Everyone else–gemsboks, lions, porcupines–can enjoy my shade.
By JenFW on April 15, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Nice! Did you know that they also talk warn each other by releasing chemicals to make themselves un-appetizing to giraffes?
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:13 pm
I’d be a fig tree. Figs to eat and branches just right for a youngster to climb. I spent many an hour resting on a branch with book in hand 🙂 Congratulations Maria and Felicita!!
By chardixon47 on April 15, 2021 at 3:17 pm
Thanks, Charlotte! Climbed my first fig tree in bella Italia 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:28 pm
Red Maple – two seasons of color! plus syrup (though not as sweet as cousin Acer saccharum) – and cool samaras to stick on your nose.
By Sue Heavenrich on April 15, 2021 at 3:42 pm
I just learned the word samara the other day, Sue. Loved your fly book!!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:55 pm
I love trees and need to get this beautiful book. I think I would like to be a Chinese Pistache tree. Their colors in the fall are so beautiful.
By rosihollinbeck on April 15, 2021 at 3:52 pm
I will have to look for that tree, Rosi, but I sure do love the name 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 3:55 pm
Thank you, Maria, for your wonderful tree information. If given a choice, I would love to be a different tree every week, until I find the perfect forest.
By judyrubin13 on April 15, 2021 at 3:55 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 4:08 pm
What a great idea for a PB. And I love the endpapers!
By yepearson on April 15, 2021 at 4:02 pm
They are lovely, as is all of Felicita’s art!!
By mariagianferrari on April 15, 2021 at 4:08 pm
I would definitely be a maple, the kind in our front yard that are the most glorious reddish gold in the autumn. We have a river birch in our backyard and although I can understand your choice, it’s not nearly as beautiful as the maples in our front yard.
By evelynchristensen on April 15, 2021 at 4:12 pm
So glad to be back in New England to see the glorious maples in the autumn!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:23 pm
I would be a sassafras tree because I´m multilingual, and the sassafras, with its three different leaves, is the equivalent of multilingual. Also it has beautiful fall colors!
By Tricia I. on April 15, 2021 at 4:16 pm
Love that about them, and the mitten ones are my favorite!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:29 pm
I would be a Texas Pecan tree! (pronounce Pee-Con) This book looks really pretty and those end papers!!!
By dedradavis03 on April 15, 2021 at 4:37 pm
Ha! The art is beautiful! I love the endpapers & everything else about it!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Ahhh!! What a wonderful picture book concept! I adore trees! I would be a Tulip Poplar – probably my fave.
By heathercmorris on April 15, 2021 at 4:44 pm
Another one with lovely leaves
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Congrats on the book!
By bgonsar on April 15, 2021 at 4:47 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:30 pm
I would be a banyan tree or a willow tree. Both are mysterious and whimsical. I’m so excited to check out your book. Congratulations!
By Kelly Rice Schmitt on April 15, 2021 at 5:04 pm
Banyans are cool!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:31 pm
Hi Maria- I saw yours and Felicita’s beautiful book at an indie book store in Tallahassee FL. Love it! There are too many trees to choose from, but I hope I would be either a maple tree because I love all their autumn colors, or a redbud, because of their heart shaped leaves and pretty spring buds. ❤️ So fun to read everyone’s comments!
By karamarsee8716 on April 15, 2021 at 5:24 pm
Redbuds are just stunning! I saw one in my old neighborhood in VA with blooms growing from the trunk and learned a new word: cauliflory 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Wonderful! Congrats!
By Sylvia Mary Grech on April 15, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Merci!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Congratulations! I would be a black locust so that hummingbirds would visit my flowers.
By lmconnors on April 15, 2021 at 5:37 pm
They are beautiful and so very fragrant!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Love your new book? I would be a redbud tree which is indigenous to Indiana and grows on the edges of woods and along creek beds. Their purple buds and heart shaped leaves are beautiful.They are in full bloom in Indiana right now!
By Christy L Schwan on April 15, 2021 at 5:53 pm
I love them too! So pretty!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:33 pm
I would be a Jeffrey pine. Evergreen, stately and oh my gosh, the bark smells like vanilla butterscotch. Yum! Congratulations on another great book, Maria!
By tpierce on April 15, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Yum!! Hi, Terry!!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:33 pm
I would be a Cherry Blossom tree because it’s the official sign of Spring, a season that brings me much joy, positivity and feelings of refreshment! And of course, the beauty of Cherry Blossoms themselves are a plus!
This is such a great book to get kids thinking while using their creative minds! Also goes so well with our “plants”’unit that’s part of our curriculum!
By Alicia Olivella on April 15, 2021 at 6:11 pm
They’re beautiful!!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:33 pm
That is a hard question!–I love too many trees! What a creative book!
By boardmancamera on April 15, 2021 at 7:53 pm
i agree! A different one for every day!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:33 pm
I would love the be a tree that kids climb on and people picnic under. Maybe an apple tree. Or a cherry tree. Trees are the best!!!!
By cmochowski on April 15, 2021 at 8:06 pm
They are, even more so in a pandemic!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:34 pm
I’d be an apple tree so I always had something delicious to eat – and I’d feed others too!
By Karol Ruth Silverstein on April 15, 2021 at 8:08 pm
Wonderful fruits!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:34 pm
If I could be a tree, I would be a maple or a silver maple.
By Bridget Wilson on April 15, 2021 at 8:46 pm
Beautiful!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:34 pm
I would love to be a tree, to talk to kids that climb on my branches, through the clouds 🙂
By roberta abussi on April 15, 2021 at 9:15 pm
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:35 pm
❤️ your book!
By EmmieRWerner on April 15, 2021 at 9:42 pm
Thanks!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:35 pm
Hard to pick just one: a gingko, a Norway spruce, a tulip tree, a willow? So many favorites. Any book about trees is a must read. Congrats, Maria.
By marty on April 15, 2021 at 9:49 pm
Yes, too hard a question. I have a view of a Norway Spruce from my study window 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:35 pm
I think I’d be like the golden Maple in our front yard. The first day we lived in our house my daughter had to climb it. Then she was too scared to come down, so her brother went up to help her. This tree turns golden in the fall and turns our dining room gold too. For several years it turned orange– maybe for our neighbor across the street who was dying from cancer. He enjoyed that tree so much. It was even hit by a car and still stands strong. I would be like that old Maple and bring lovely shade in summer and gorgeous colors in the fall.
By betlw on April 15, 2021 at 10:57 pm
It sounds like a beautiful tree!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Be a Tree sounds like a wonderful read! Adding it to my goodreads list.
Hmm, if I could be a tree other than a paper birch, I ‘d be an Evergreen! Then I could become a Christmas 🎄tree to spread joy on Christmas morning!! 🙂
By seschipper on April 15, 2021 at 11:11 pm
And they smell wonderful too!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm
This is such an inviting book! I’d like to be a lemon tree.
By authorlaurablog on April 15, 2021 at 11:53 pm
Lovely lemons!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm
What a wonderful concept for a book. Introduces kids to trees and to mindfulness and using their imagination. I’d like to be a rainbow eucalyptus tree because they’re so colorful.
By Marcia Berneger on April 16, 2021 at 12:23 am
And delicious smelling!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm
What a wonderful idea for a picture book. This is going to make all readers think about their favorite trees.
I’ll go with an orange tree because the blossoms smell so wonderful, the fruit is sweet, and hummingbirds like to nest in them.
By claireannette1 on April 16, 2021 at 12:45 am
Sounds lovely!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:37 pm
A haiku response:
A redwood towers
Over all but its roots are
Interconnected.
By mwolpin on April 16, 2021 at 12:49 am
Redwoods!! So amazing!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:37 pm
I’d be an evergreen providing the color of hope throughout northern winters.
By Carole Calladine on April 16, 2021 at 3:14 am
Green is such a calming color
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:37 pm
If I were a tree, I’d be a weeping willow, trailing my leaves in the stream that flows by, becoming a secret hideout for neighborhood children, and swaying and dancing with the breezes that weave in and out of my graceful branches.
By chaunceyelephant on April 16, 2021 at 3:28 am
They would love it!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I’d be an apple tree, for obvious reasons…they provide fruit, they’re super cute too loo at, and they have an interesting history!
By Amy Benoit on April 16, 2021 at 7:23 am
I love apples 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I would like to be a flowering crabapple tree because I think that fits all moods.
Sometimes I feel beautiful all dressed up like blossoming tree. Sometimes I feel crabby or bitter like the little fruits of the tree. Sometimes I am quiet like thevtree in winter and sometimes I am budding with enthusiasm over something new!
By Julie Kurtz on April 16, 2021 at 8:17 am
🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I love this idea! I think I’d be a cherry tree…ya know for snacks!
By brennajeanneret on April 16, 2021 at 8:22 am
Nice!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I can’t wait to read this book! River birch is my favorite–the only tree I ever planted to survive, and the only thing I really missed when we moved out of our old house! But I think it would be itchy to be a river birch. I think I’d like to be an aspen shimmering my leaves in the breeze and looking out over Lake Superior.
By Laura Purdie Salas on April 16, 2021 at 8:54 am
Hi Laura!! Great choices! There are so many lovely trees!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:39 pm
I can’t wait to read your book, Maria! If I could be a tree, I would be a weeping willow. They look so relaxed and I love the way they blow in the wind.
By Emily R. Keener on April 16, 2021 at 9:00 am
That seems to be a favorite of many people here, Emily–I can understand why!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:39 pm
This book looks beautiful! I’d like to be a willow or a magnolia tree. They both feel magical to me. Congratulations, Maria! Thanks for the post, Tara!
By Sarah Meade on April 16, 2021 at 9:27 am
Lovely choices 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:40 pm
This book looks so good! I would be a weeping willow tree, so kids could play under my branches…like I used to. Or a sweetgum tree, because they have the prettiest fall leaves, and their name is fun to say!
By Hannah Roy LaGrone on April 16, 2021 at 9:47 am
I love sweetgums–you’re the first to mention them so far. I used to see a lot in my former neighborhood in VA
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:40 pm
I would be a big, old majestic oak tree. I live in NC and have seen some of the biggest oak trees that are hundreds of years old. Imagine what they’ve been through!
By amyrsinn on April 16, 2021 at 11:17 am
They’re pretty amazing!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:40 pm
I love Maria’s books so I’m happy to see this new one!
By Linda on April 16, 2021 at 12:27 pm
Thanks for the kind words, Linda!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:41 pm
Congratulations on your latest book, Maria. Being a life-long fan of trees, I’m hard-pressed to pick one favorite. I love the uniqueness of white birch and ginkgos trees, mightiness of oaks, the grace of swaying palms and have wonderful memories of the willow that was in our yard when I was a pre-schooler. Our dog and I enjoy “forest bathing”–as the Japanese call it–nearly daily here in NH, so I’d better include the indigenous evergreens and maples on my long list, too! Hmm, it’s so hard to pick just one!
By Lucretia S. on April 16, 2021 at 12:59 pm
I love forest bathing too! Where in NH are you from?? I grew up in Keene & still have family there. I’m doing a virtual event at the Toadstool on 5/1 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Coast redwood definitely! I’m a sucker for books about trees.
By Cheryl Johnson on April 16, 2021 at 3:06 pm
They are just beautiful–so ancient and inviting! Loved visiting Redwood National Forest!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Ahh…to have the strength of a tree especially during this pandemic. Such a lovely book! Congratulations!
By kathydoherty1 on April 16, 2021 at 3:28 pm
Just being in their presence brings peace and joy!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Being asked to pick one tree is so difficult, but I’m going to go with Osage orange. I have one growing in my yard and they have such an interesting history.
By Roberta Gibson on April 16, 2021 at 4:15 pm
Hi Roberta (that’s also my mother’s name, BTW). I don’t know of them–will have to look them up!
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:43 pm
Oh boy, I really love all trees (although Sycamore trees are super messy) I guess my favorite would be a willow tree, swaying in the breeze like a hula dancer 🙂
By writeknit on April 16, 2021 at 5:15 pm
Sycamores are so pretty! I love their leaves and bark.
By mariagianferrari on April 16, 2021 at 5:43 pm
Had to enter just to make myself come up with an answer! But it only took seconds! The unique American Sassafras!! Great post and beautifully written book!!
By julie rowan zoch on April 16, 2021 at 6:59 pm
Love them too, Julie!
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:37 pm
Maria, congratulations to you, Felicita, Abrams Kids & anyone else involved in bringing this beautiful book to life. I have lived in the woods more than half my life, and hiked many forests. I eventually learned about Tree energy, and yes, I have hugged more than my share. I love different bark feels…. this leads me to “My”Tree. If I were a tree, I would be a Desert Ironwood. It often has two types of bark, depending on the area it’s located on the tree. One bark is smooth, the other is peeling, (shreddy….I like that) just like your lovely River Birch. I could really use a book like this for the Recording Studio Library and for reading out in my own woods. My little neighbor (7) will be allowed to read with me again this summer. Here is a little more info about my tree (enviro science geek, sorry) Stay well all! Peace, Annie.
desert ironwood Fabaceae Olneya tesota
Leaf:Alternate, evergreen, pinnately compound, 6 to 9 pairs of obovate leaflets, entire leaf 2 to 3 inches long, gray-green and finely hairy.
Flower:Pea-shaped, 1/2 inch long pink to light purple flowers, 5 petals, appears in late spring in small clusters.
Fruit:Two to 3 inch long brown legume, swollen at seeds, finely hairy, matures in late summer.
Twig:Slender, green (later gray-brown), with a pair of slender sharp spines at base of leaves.
Bark:Initially smooth and light gray-brown, later becoming darker, browner and shreddy, often there are distinct transitions between smooth and rough areas.
Form:A small tree (up to 30 feet) with a short trunk (often several trunks) and wide spreading crown
By Annie Lynn/AnnieBirdd Music, LLC on April 16, 2021 at 8:17 pm
Thank you so much, Annie! I am unfamiliar with them, so I will check them out.
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:37 pm
If I could be a tree I’d be a palmetto tree, stretching my fingers toward the heavens.
This sounds like a wonderful book.
By Beatrice Brown on April 16, 2021 at 8:30 pm
I love the sound of their name too, Beatrice!
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Oooh, what a lovely book about to be! Like so many of us, I love trees & feel so much contentment around them. Which one would I be? An apple tree so that I not only have gorgeous spring blossoms, but I also give fruit & I’m a pretty good climber 🙂 Best w/ your book!
By yangmommy on April 17, 2021 at 8:10 am
Apple trees are lovely–I love apple picking in autumn!
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:38 pm
What a fantastic concept for a book, congrats!
I think I would be a sugar maple, easily found but always available for something sweet.
By katiefischerwrites on April 17, 2021 at 8:28 am
I grew up across the street from a sugaring house 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:39 pm
I “wood” definitely be a giant sequoia. To live 1,000 years or more “wood” be quite amazing. And I’d be forest bathing every day. Glorious!!!
By janzov on April 17, 2021 at 11:25 am
Spectacular sequoias!
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:39 pm
I would definitely want to be a weeping willow. That way my branches and leaves could dance in the wind or just hang down to chill and relax.
By Rebecca E Guzinski on April 17, 2021 at 11:27 am
I’d have to go back & count, but I think this has been the most popular choice thus far 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 17, 2021 at 1:39 pm
I would be a Japanese Maple with lace like leaves stretching to the ground
By Meredith Fraser on April 17, 2021 at 6:41 pm
A very pretty tree, Meredith 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 18, 2021 at 3:06 pm
My brothers still laugh about me telling my younger brother to be a tree for Halloween, complete with a cactus arm demonstration. For memory sake, I must be a cactus.
By Monica Acker on April 18, 2021 at 10:48 am
Ouch! Sounds like a fun Halloween 🙂
By mariagianferrari on April 18, 2021 at 3:06 pm
I would be a eucalyptus on a cliff beside the sea.
By Amy Malskeit on April 19, 2021 at 10:22 am
Such a lovely scent!!
By mariagianferrari on April 19, 2021 at 6:01 pm
I would be a quaking aspen, gently fluttering in the breeze. Congrats on your book!!
By Michele Rietz on April 19, 2021 at 2:47 pm
A beautiful sight!
By mariagianferrari on April 19, 2021 at 6:01 pm
From one tree lover to another: What a beautiful book. Can’t wait to read the entire thing.
By Fern Glazer on April 20, 2021 at 11:27 am
And I love the name, Fern! There were so many beautiful ancient ferns beneath the redwoods!
By mariagianferrari on April 20, 2021 at 3:41 pm
Love this book!
By Elizabeth Saba on April 20, 2021 at 3:27 pm
I am thrilled to hear that, Elizabeth–thank you so much!
By mariagianferrari on April 20, 2021 at 3:41 pm
This sounds amazing! I think I’d be a cherry blossom. They’re just so darn pretty, and even if their blossoms aren’t always on display, you know they still have all that beauty on the inside, just waiting to come out again. Congrats!
Rebecca Gardyn Levington
By RebeccaTheWriter on April 21, 2021 at 11:32 am
Oh – the vibrant red maple…how could I not?! Trees are wonderful!
By Stephanie Jones on April 21, 2021 at 3:25 pm
I’d be the mulberry tree that grew behind my garage when I was a kid. It was the perfect climbing tree with delicious rewards when you reached the top,
By Kate Narita on April 23, 2021 at 8:59 am
I love being a Tree! Do you speak Tree also? Great job.
By Elizabeth Moore on April 27, 2021 at 8:57 am
No Barking Up the wrong tree here !
By Stephen S. Martin on May 10, 2021 at 7:03 pm
I can’t wait to read this book!
By Shirley Ng-Benitez on May 12, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Congrats on this wonderful book, Maria. If I had to choose one, I’d love to be a Japanese maple.
By Maria Marshall on May 13, 2021 at 2:54 am
I know this book will resonate with all kinds of trees–er, I mean kids!
By Dionna on May 20, 2021 at 8:27 pm