My Mother Talks to Trees
 Doris Gove, Illustrator Marilynn H. Mallory
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 1999 Peachtree Publishers, Atlanta GA
  ISBN: 1561451665


Through the seasons of the year, Laura walks home from school with her mother. At first she is embarrassed by her mother's talking to the trees they pass along their way. Eventually she realizes how interesting trees really are & joins in in her mother's excitement.

When I came across this title on our library shelf I couldn't help laughing with delight. “That's me!” I quipped to my favorite Librarian who laughed right along with me.

Yes, I admit it! I'm a tree-talker & have been known to actually sidle up to those elegant pillars of the forest to admire their textured trunks & their lofty reaches. My kids too were mortified to be associated with this weird woman who addressed trees as if they were sentient beings. Which, of course, they are!

My Mother Talks to Trees is a delightful way for both adult & child to get to know the trees in their neighborhood for you see, trees are vitally important to our well-being, not only because they add seasonal beauty to our lives, they also process the air we breathe, making it sweet & fresh & healthy!

Some of the trees Doris & Marilynn introduce us to are the Dogwood, the Hickory, the Spruce & the Sassafras. At the book's end we learn other words to use when we talk to trees such as: simple leaf, lichen, pollen, needles, catkins & more.

I used to joke that I moved out West into the rainforests because I wanted to live where the trees out numbered people's houses a zillion to one. Well, this colorful & charming book is written for those who still live among the houses where trees are infrequent & purposely planted.

I immensely enjoyed Marilynn H. Mallory's beautifully detailed illustrations of squirrels & leaves, foxes & bears, berries & flowers.

Doris Gove's story of a girl's adventure with her mother as they meander their way through the seasons, brings back the fondest memories of my mothering years of walking the city streets, showing my kids the occasional trees & finding out what they actually saw.

My Mother Talks to Trees is a superb learning book which will grow with your children & provide truly important information on those environmental sentinels & havens for all creatures on this earth. & which is rare, this book also reminds us to use our libraries for further study.

A lovely, lovely book that will make a perfect gift for anyone who loves trees, who wants to know more about them & for any girl or mom!

More from Doris Gove: One Rainy Night, Red-Spotted Newt & A Water Snake's Year. She teaches environmental studies to elementary school students & lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Marilynn H. Mallory has illustrated articles & conducted workshops for elementary school children & teachers in naturalist paintings & field journals. She has been the artist in residence for numerous programs, most notably at the Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. She lives in Decatur, Georgia.
(09/30/01)

Rebecca