My Tree

March 22, 2021
It’s not a person or an animal who comforts Lim’s (I Am a Bird) child narrator, who has newly arrived in the United States from Korea. It’s a tree outside the new home’s back door—one with a graceful trunk and strong branches that are full of plums—that “reminded me of the persimmon tree that shaded our porch in Korea.” Named Plumee by the child, the tree offers something in every season: blossoms, shade, fruit, and beauty. And then a storm fells it. “An old tree knows how to lie down when it’s time,” the child’s grandmother back in Korea says, a phrase that helps the child confront loss and gain comfort. Na (That’s My Carrot) gives this quiet story heft and drama with bold, crisped-edged forms; saturated hues; and feathery details. The spreads flow into each other, carrying much of the story’s emotional weight. Lim, meanwhile, crafts this story with a tree-scale sense of time, paying homage to an arboreal marker of the past and offering hope that stretches out into the future. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Tanusri Prasanna, Foundry Literary + Media. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

April 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-A young South Korean boy, new to America, moves with his parents and dog into a house with a "tall, crooked, quiet" plum tree in the backyard. He names it Plumee, waters it, and grows to love the tree as it is a great place to hide and it offers shade, blossoms, soothing noise in the wind, and delicious purple plums. Through four seasons, Plumee helps stave off the child's homesickness as it reminds him of a tree he knew in his homeland. One night a terrible storm knocks over many trees in the city and Plumee is one of them. The child is sad to lose his close companion but he and the neighborhood kids use their imaginations to turn the fallen tree into a ship, an island, and a rocket until it has to be cut up and removed from the yard. His understanding parents soon plant a young plum tree in the same spot and the child quietly introduces himself to the new occupant. Colorful digital illustrations are filled with small details and reveal the massive tree and the child's love for it. VERDICT This tale of a boy's devotion and regard for the natural world is quietly endearing, and the young protagonist will be a comfort to others who have said goodbye to home.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2021
Grades K-2 A young immigrant boy feels welcomed in his American backyard by a plum tree that reminds him of one in his former Korean home. Even after the tree is felled by a rainstorm, the boy continues playing in it, using it as a tree house, a rocket, an island, and a ship. But after a friend falls and scrapes his arm, the wood is hauled away, leaving an empty hole. Daddy understands the loss and plants a new tree, which eventually blooms, reassuring the child. Lim's comforting story speaks to the importance of nature in creating a sense of well-being and belonging. Language and cultural differences connected with many moves go unmentioned here because this child finds security and continuity in this tree. Na's digital artwork features a springlike palette, favoring shades of plum, pink, and blue. The full-bleed spreads are richly hued, except for those depicting the boy's imagination, which turn pastel. A good choice for one-on-one sharing or for Earth Day story hours.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
A young boy from Korea moves to America and finds a "tall, crooked, quiet" old plum tree in his new backyard that reminds him of his persimmon tree back home. He names her Plumee for the deep purple plums that "dotted every branch" and finds comfort in her whenever he misses home. One spring night, a windstorm knocks Plumee down. Yet even so, with "her roots pulled out of the earth," she is still his playmate, becoming in his mind everything he wishes for: "a tree house. A rocket. An island. A ship." The boy later plants "a new plum tree, short and straight" in Plumee's old place and carefully tends the sapling, finding the same feeling of home as he waters her and watches her grow. Themes of resilience, hope, and vulnerability run through Lim's simple and poetic text. Na's digital illustrations help build empathy. On one dramatic double-page spread, a nearly glowing white silhouette of a ghostly Plumee appears against a dark night sky. The high contrast in hue conveys not just the absence of the tree but also the feeling of emptiness that her absence brings. Gentle symbolism employed throughout creates opportunities for discussion of change, connection, and adaptation. Weileen Wang

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 1, 2021
An old plum tree reminds a small immigrant child of life in Korea. "In the backyard of our new home stood an old tree. Tall, crooked, quiet. It reminded me of the persimmon tree that shaded our porch in Korea." With spare and empathic text, this little black-haired child displays the vulnerability that comes when moving to a new country. The family has moved to America, with white picket fences and cardinals in the yard. Homesick for the life left behind, the child, who narrates, names the tree Plumee and finds comfort in watering and caring for her. The parents, wordless, unpack boxes labeled "fragile" in the foreground. Na's whimsically stylized illustrations are richly emotive, using space and perspective to make the tree strong and protective and the child small. When a storm levels the tree to the ground, the child remembers Grandma's wisdom, from Korea: "An old tree knows how to lie down when it is time." Even fallen, the tree becomes a playground for the child, sparking imaginative play by becoming a treehouse, a rocket, an island, and a ship. There is a calm symbolism throughout the story--of old memories and new places, of homesickness and adaptation, of being uprooted and the thrill of new life. Lim and Na's collaboration has captured the essence of quiet immigrant resilience. Transcending time and place, this gentle book will take root in many hearts. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
A young boy from Korea moves to America and finds a "tall, crooked, quiet" old plum tree in his new backyard that reminds him of his persimmon tree back home. He names her Plumee for the deep purple plums that "dotted every branch" and finds comfort in her whenever he misses home. One spring night, a windstorm knocks Plumee down. Yet even so, with "her roots pulled out of the earth," she is still his playmate, becoming in his mind everything he wishes for: "a tree house. A rocket. An island. A ship." The boy later plants "a new plum tree, short and straight" in Plumee's old place and carefully tends the sapling, finding the same feeling of home as he waters her and watches her grow. Themes of resilience, hope, and vulnerability run through Lim's simple and poetic text. Na's digital illustrations help build empathy. On one dramatic double-page spread, a nearly glowing white silhouette of a ghostly Plumee appears against a dark night sky. The high contrast in hue conveys not just the absence of the tree but also the feeling of emptiness that her absence brings. Gentle symbolism employed throughout creates opportunities for discussion of change, connection, and adaptation.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)