Picture Book-Ellen's Apple Tree

Ellen's Apple Tree by Catarina Kruusval
I just love this book! A friend gave me a copy and the 5 year-olds love it. Part of why I love it is that it's Scandinavian and you can tell in the way the houses are portrayed on the inside pages. Ellen and her friend Ollie play in the tree in every season; they hang out in branches and peek through the blossoms and the leaves. They eat the beautiful yellow and red apples and reject the young, green, bitter ones. Ellen's mother saves the apples to eat all fall and into the winter. They leave the ground apples for neighbors to take for their horses. But, a winter storm knocks the tree over and Ellen and her parents must work to plant a new one in spring. I also love the portrayal of the seasons. The pictures are so inviting that I find myself wanting to play in Ellen's backyard. It reminds me of the only tree I used to climb when I was a kid. It was a cherry tree in our backyard when I lived in Detroit. I have memories of sharing my branch with Wayne Dyer's daughter. Yes, THE Wayne Dyer. He worked at Wayne State while my dad was there and my mom watched his daughter. That's the only memory I have though- the cherry tree.

Looking Forward: I'm anticipating the ARC of the new Michelle Zink book!