Apr 07, 2012Paul Hankins rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
april-2012-reads,
ladders-to-walden,
mr-hankins-says-don-t-miss,
picture-book-focus-on-design,
picture-book-feature-artist,
picture-book-celebration-of-imagina,
picture-book-loss-and-grief,
picture-book-poignant-touching,
picture-books-by-canonized-authors,
picture-books-rich-use-of-language,
picture-books-stunning-art-illust,
poet-laureate-or-former-poet-laurea
An older house, fallen into disrepair, is supported by the trees that grow around it and eventually hold it aloft within their branches.
In 2010, Ted Kooser gave us BAG IN THE WIND (Candlewick). I had always wanted really good things to happen to and for that title which was illustrated by Barry Root. I thought Kooser's prose read like pure poetry and Roots's illustrations could have stood completely alone, which made the whole of the title so special for me.
And I think this is the very thing about these kinds of books that don't feature farting dogs or lost hats or invitations to push, press, or fold (please don't get me wrong here--I love these too. Farting dogs--giggle).
But these gentle books that land without much fanfare? Here's one I found today at Carmichael's, an independent bookseller in Louisville. I had just dropped the children off at the start of the Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade and I knew that I would get a chance to stop in the bookstore before they passed that location. There, in the new offerings was HOUSE HELD UP BY TREES, the newest title from former U. S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser.
This time, Kooser teams up with Jon Klassen (who by way of illustrator terms is becoming like the Rianna of children's books and covers--and I mean this with much love, Jon). Authors and publishing houses just seem to want Jon working on their projects. And here, Klassen employs his sense of timeless approach to illustration to bring Kooser's prose to life. A quiet, unassuming life that may very well mean that HOUSE HELD UP BY TREES will have the same quiet following and love of that found by BAG IN THE WIND.
Here is why I will grant five stars and lobby for five more for this book. It's beautiful. The writing reads like pure poetry and the whole of the book would work well as a mentor text to demonstrate to younger writers how to find that piece of detail or that singular comment in a piece of writing that puts that piece of writing over the top. Sometimes it's a description. Sometimes it's an evaluation of how things are. Kooser is a master at this technique.
In early descriptions of the property surrounding the house
"Beneath the trees were bushes so thickly woven together that you had to crawl on our hands and knees to get to the cool and shadowy secret places inside."
or the house found in transition after the children grow and the father moves away:
"As it happened, nobody wanted to buy the house. Nobody could explain why, but it just didn't seem like a house where anybody wanted to live. That happens sometimes."
and as the saplings become little trees which "interact" with the old house:
"When the wind blew, they waved back and forth, making dark arcs on the fading paint."
There is one small detail in the illustrations that I hope younger readers find while reading this quiet little book.
And I hope classroom teachers DO find HOUSE HELD UP BY TREES for discussions--sure--but also for that quiet read-aloud that brings the group back to center to sit, listen, and quietly contemplate.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12833946-house-held-up-by-trees 
Please wait...