In the Tree House

by Andrew Larsen, Duyan Petricic (Illustrator)

Overview

As this enchanting picture book begins, a young boy is fondly remembering last summer, when his dad built an awesome tree house in their backyard. “My brother and I spent most of that summer in the tree house. It was the best summer ever.” Sadly, everything has changed this year. His brother is now “too busy with his friends” to come to the tree house at all. But then one night the power unexpectedly goes out while the young boy is there by himself, and he's treated to an amazing view of his neighborhood, blanketed in darkness and lit only by the stars. And then, just as unexpectedly, his brother appears, wanting to join him, to savor the magic of the night.

Author Andrew Larsen has created a fantasy-inducing (what child doesn't pine for a house in a tree?) and emotionally satisfying story that young children will want to revisit again and again. His unique use of the first person to tell the story along with his simple, spare style evocatively relates the feelings the young boy has toward his special corner of the world and his older brother, without being overly mushy. The emotional poignancy is further enhanced by Duýan Petričić's expressive and detailed artwork. This book makes a great resource for lessons on community, siblings or growing up. Separately, this book could also be used for classroom discussions about the environmental issues connected to the rate and severity of blackouts in recent years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525300172
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Andrew Larsen is the acclaimed author of such books as Goodnight, Hockey Fans, A Squiggly Story, The Not-So-Faraway Adventure, In the Tree House and The Imaginary Garden. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Dušan Petričić is an award-winning children's book designer and illustrator whose books include The Enormous Potato and Lickety-Split. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

... cheerily illustrated ... this picture book captures ... the thrill of brotherly camaraderie ...—The Wall Street Journal

The layout of this small, oblong picture book is attractive, and the story is pleasant.—School Library Journal

Heartfelt and subtle.—Booklist

Larsen's text is full of delights, simple sensory details that capture a mood. ... To these crisply written words, Petričić brings his own rich dimension of narrative and character.—Quill & Quire, Starred Review

The powerful story is made more so by the expressive illustrations of masterful Serbian-Canadian artist Duýan Petričić.—Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—A young boy's family has moved to a bigger house in a new neighborhood. There's a lot to like about it, but the child misses sharing a bedroom with his older brother. To help himself fall asleep at night, he begins to plan tree houses and later puts his plans to paper. Soon, his brother and father join him in the project, and they build a real tree house in the large backyard tree. It's a cool place, and the siblings enjoy their special hangout all summer long. By the next summer, however, the older brother is more interested in his own friends. It's lonely up in that tree house, until all the power goes out. Suddenly, stars are visible in the night sky, neighbors come out to socialize, and the boy and his older brother have time to renew their relationship. They read comics and play cards by flashlight, as in earlier times, and watch the twinkling lights come on in the neighborhood. The cartoonlike illustrations, many of them with crisp white backgrounds and several that are striking silhouettes, are done in pen-and-ink and colored with Photoshop. The layout of this small, oblong picture book is attractive, and the story is pleasant. A supplemental purchase for larger collections.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

A tale reminiscent, but falling short, of John Rocco's 2012 Caldecott honor book, Blackout, depicts a boy longing for time with his big brother. First-person, retrospective narration recounts how, when the family moves to a new house, the boys build a treehouse with their father. A happy summertime ensues, with the brothers ensconced in their treetop perch, playing cards and reading comics. When they try to stargaze, though, city lights obscure the starlight. A year later, the little brother forlornly explains that this summer his elder sibling would rather hang out with friends than spend time with him. "So now I'm king of the castle. I can do whatever I want up here," reads text accompanied by a picture showing him as anything but happy about this prospect. Then a blackout occurs, and stars are suddenly visible. Neighbors pour into the street, using candles and flashlights and sharing ice cream before it melts. Best of all, the big brother ascends the treehouse ladder to play cards and look at comics by flashlight again. Even when the lights return and neighbors go inside, the brothers keep playing in the treehouse. The strongest illustrations follow the lead of the darkened cover art, but the book never achieves the visual brilliance of Rocco's more distinguished work. A melancholy story of changing relationships rather than a celebration of the excitement of a blackout. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews