Before We Stood Tall by Jessica Kulekjian and Madeline Kloepper - NO

Before We Stood Tall: from small seed to mighty tree by Jessica Kulekjian, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2021. $18. 9781525303241 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - NO 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

A forest of trees remembers back all the way to their beginnings. 

I tried to appreciate this as a poetic look back into the early life of trees, but that is lost in the figurative language in a non-linear form that confuses rather than invites. I even typed out the lines in case it made more sense as a whole, but I don’t enjoy it enough to fall in love. I would suggest The Second Life of Trees by Aimee M. Bisonette, or Trees by Tony Johnson, as more appealing looks at trees. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS