What extraordinary wonders lurk beneath the surface of an ordinary tree?
The interconnected stories of seventeen creatures, all living and dreaming underneath the same tree, are told in this enchanting illustrated novel from Dutch author Yorick Goldewijk, available now wherever books are sold.
With dreamlike art from New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books awardee Jeska Verstegen, it charms with imaginative storytelling and an extraordinary cast of animal characters.
A sloth hangs on a branch all day but longs to somersault through the woods. The moon moth caterpillar watches her friends shed their skins but decides to do things differently. The barn swallow feels like she’s lost something—but can’t remember what. Wherever you look in this tree, another creature has a thought, a dream, a decision, a question — an amusing and often poignant way to look at life.
“I’ve always been fascinated by hidden worlds within worlds, little wonders just below the surface of the ordinary. If I think of a tree as a world, my imagination runs wild, and stories start coming up in my mind,” said Goldewijk. “The Tree That Was a World is meant to be an ode to curiosity and the small bits of wonder that lie hidden everywhere.”
Verstegen (Bear Is Never Alone, Eerdmans) used mixed media art to bring Goldewijk’s words to life.
“Yorick and I like nature and its wonders, the beauty and its wonderful weirdness. Creatively, we have the same kind of humor. In this book, everything unites splendidly,” she said. “It’s like a bit of theatre hidden between book covers.”
Laura Watkinson, whose translations have received numerous honors, including three Mildred L. Batchelder Awards, translated The Tree That Was a World from Dutch.
Booklist called The Tree That Was a World “humorous, quirky….a thought-provoking, unique story that celebrates the beauty of nature and the richness and wonder found in diverse perspectives.” Kirkus Reviews called it “weird yet wonderful.”
Eerdmans Publisher Anita Eerdmans has loved The Tree That Was a World ever since the Dutch publisher of Bear Is Never Alone sent it to us in advance of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. She’s closely followed its publication journey in the Netherlands, where she learned something especially interesting.
“It didn’t surprise me at all to learn that The Tree That Was a World was shortlisted for and since has won the Ludoq Public Prize, a Dutch honor for the best children’s philosophical book,” Eerdmans said. “Can we talk about the fact that the Dutch have an actual award for best children’s philosophical book? And that it’s given out during children’s philosophy week in the Netherlands? How about something like that in the USA?”
While we don’t have a “best children’s philosophical book” award (yet…), The Tree That Was a World is definitely a book that makes for a lively group chat. Which is why we’ve developed a discussion guide as well as a fun readers’ theater script based on the story of the Common Toad and the Duck-Billed Platypus.
And if you want a perfect book pairing for The Tree That Was a World? On her blog, librarian Betsy Bird noted, “If someone were to put this book next to My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda and do a booktalk on the two of them together, you’d be firing on all cylinders.” (A Fuse #8 Production).
This book is ready-made for reading aloud, so whether you’re snuggling up with your little one or in front of a classroom of students, we hope you fall in love with this gem of a book and the magic it delivers.
Happy book birthday!
