LISTENING TO TREES: Art, Nature, and Purpose

I know, and I admit it...  I adore picture books. The ones I write about here I generally RAVE about. But I hope you've noticed, I also provide specifics about WHY any particular book is so wonderful. Aspects of any two (or twenty) picture books may be similar, but they are distinct to each title, as are the many variables that potentially earn my praise here. In fact, the very nature of picture book formats and range of topics and styles and illustration and text choices means that possible combinations of wonderful-ness are approaching infinity! 

That, my reader friends, is why I deal with such a limited number of picture book recommendations here, selected from among the enormous numbers of new titles released each year. I aim for the best of the best. I do offer analysis and patterns or elements that draw me to each offering, but that still means it is my opinion. Just trust me when I say that a rave about any book I profile here is utterly sincere. 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2024

If you've listened so far (or read along), I feel confident you will also be an avid fan of this new picture book biography. If that category itself makes you raise an eyebrow, wondering about how authentic a rave can be about a biography, I beg you to read on. LISTENING TO TREES: George Nakashima, Woodworker is written by Holly Thompson with pictures by Toshiki Nakamura. 

Stay with me now...

This is an elegant, simple but not simplistic blend of subtle illustrations, poetic lines that launch each double-spread, and lyrical informative text about a creative artisan of distinction. George Nakashima's life lovingly unfolds from his early Pacific Northwoods experiences, revealing his deep appreciation of natural and cultural influences and appeals, leading  to his growing skill and innovation in working with wood in original ways. 

His career choices included architecture, but he chose furniture making, which allowed him to work with unique materials and principles while controlling every aspect of a creation directly. His reputation rapidly grew and he received global acclaim.

The mid-section of his life story includes his family's imprisonment in Japanese internment camps during WWII, his use of his skills to make life there more livable using  random wood scraps, and his decision to accept a move to Pennsylvania- to farm! 

But the decisions he made after arriving did not involve farming. Instead he used the surrounding natural materials, including tree-falls and ways in which those materials inspired him to create works of art that  functioned not only as furniture but as foundations and inspirations for peaceful interactions.

Back matter includes an author note, photo and text examples of Nakashima working, segments about trees and their usable elements, photos of exemplary furniture he made, and more. 

The poetry on each gently-evocative  spread sets the tone for the developments explored on those pages. The entire production and design made me believe that this book would please its subject, as it pleased Nakashima's daughter, who offers an introductory note.

So, chime in and let me know if this appeals to you, too. Do you appreciate the beauty of nature? Do you recognize aesthetic cultural patterns that resonate with your eye and heart? Does poetry call you? Does a talented life inspire you to be more creative and productive?  Are subtle and evocative illustrations the kind you explore and bask in? Other elements of this work that call your name? Whatever your "hook", let this one lure you in and enjoy it fully, as I did.

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