Meeting Trees

Meeting Trees by Scott Russell Sanders, illustrated by Robert Hynes, is truly a book after my own heart; color, depth of imagery, and a slow, heartfelt story.

I find trees to be spectacular. I hug them, I lean on them, I have always had special trees in my life. I so appreciate that this book touches the emotion of what it means to befriend trees.

It's a simple story, based on Sanders' childhood experiences walking in the woods with his father. It's atypical in the current picture book world of cartoon and fast-paced action meant to rival screen media. Instead, this book captures what it is like to walk in the woods, learning tree types, noticing things, paying attention. A kid with his dad. Meeting Trees is a picture book for young kids, but it comes across to me as a poetic short piece of creative nonfiction.

The book is beautifully illustrated by Robert Hynes. I met Hynes two years ago at Highlights Nature Writing Bootcamp. He shared his illustrating experiences and got us attendees to pick up a pencil and draw something (which is saying a lot for me!) The images in this book are true to reality and full of life.

Clearly, I love this book. It was published in 1997, and like I said, is very different than the current trend in picture books. But this is the kind of special story I aim to write and share with the world. After, that is, I take some time and go out and hug a few trees.