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My Father Is Taller than a Tree
Award-winning author Joseph Bruchac delivers a charming and heart-warming story about fathers and sons. Perfect with other Father's Day gems like Alison Ritchie's Me and My Dad and Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You.In this tender tribute to dads everywhere, lyrical rhymes capture heartwarming moments shared between thirteen diverse father-and-son pairs. Everyday activities, like bike riding and raking leaves, become a reminder that life's simple pleasures can offer the greatest rewards."Celebrates the role fathers play in their sons' lives and the many kinds of families who live in the U.S. Sons will find comfort on every page."—Publishers Weekly"A charming celebration of fathers, dads, pops, papas, and pas."—School Library Journal
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2010
2 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Bruchac
278 books595 followersJoseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 18, 2019
With a simple rhyming text, and colorful crayon and pencil illustrations, My Father Is Taller Than a Tree celebrates a diverse group of fathers and sons, and would make an excellent Father's Day selection for the pre-school set. "My father lifts me up so high / that both my hands can touch the sky," it begins, detailing the many things - from riding bikes to taking naps - that dads do with their sons. Each two-page spread features a larger drawing on top, with smaller panels on the bottom, depicting the activities mentioned.
Although a great fan of Joseph Bruchac, I am constrained to admit that his text here is not all that impressive. Many of the rhymes felt forced to me, with the rhythm having odd little hiccups in it. Luckily, Wendy Anderson Halperin's artwork is quite engaging, with an appealingly soft color scheme, and a diverse range of father-son pairs - African-American, Asian-American, European-American, and Latino dads appear, as does one who is blind, and one in a wheelchair. With the visuals carrying the book - and it's not as if Bruchac's narrative is terrible here, it's just not terrific - I would still recommend My Father Is Taller Than a Tree to those looking for good father-son picture-books.
Although a great fan of Joseph Bruchac, I am constrained to admit that his text here is not all that impressive. Many of the rhymes felt forced to me, with the rhythm having odd little hiccups in it. Luckily, Wendy Anderson Halperin's artwork is quite engaging, with an appealingly soft color scheme, and a diverse range of father-son pairs - African-American, Asian-American, European-American, and Latino dads appear, as does one who is blind, and one in a wheelchair. With the visuals carrying the book - and it's not as if Bruchac's narrative is terrible here, it's just not terrific - I would still recommend My Father Is Taller Than a Tree to those looking for good father-son picture-books.
October 2, 2017
I really enjoyed the diversity in this book. There were fewer words than I expected, but the pictures really emphasized the story. I really liked seeing the different points of view in the story.
February 27, 2023
Meet 13 pairs of people. What do they have in common?
One father plus one child, that's what. And each pair is selected with what I'd call heartwarming diversity. (That's in contrast with what I'd call "well meaning but stiff diversity.")
I'm instantly charmed by the illustrations in, what, colored pencil? Not too cute, not too formal, but just cute enough to make me remember how much I loved my own father.
My favorite rhyme goes like this:
Pop doesn't need to buy me stuff. Just being with him is enough."
* Thanks, author Joseph Bruchac.
* Thanks, artist Wendy Anderson Halperin.
* Another excellent pair: I love your work in this book.
One father plus one child, that's what. And each pair is selected with what I'd call heartwarming diversity. (That's in contrast with what I'd call "well meaning but stiff diversity.")
I'm instantly charmed by the illustrations in, what, colored pencil? Not too cute, not too formal, but just cute enough to make me remember how much I loved my own father.
My favorite rhyme goes like this:
Pop doesn't need to buy me stuff. Just being with him is enough."
* Thanks, author Joseph Bruchac.
* Thanks, artist Wendy Anderson Halperin.
* Another excellent pair: I love your work in this book.
June 29, 2018
A comforting, simple picture book about fathers and sons of all skin tones sharing everyday moments with one another.
November 25, 2019
Charming look at dads and children. Bruchac includes a wide variety of dads and situations.
August 11, 2023
Everyday activities become a reminder that life’s simple pleasures can offer the greatest awards.
April 2, 2023
A comfortable and comforting look at family. It reminds me how relaxing it is to be around family, or those who feel-like-family.
This is such a book to relax into, like the illustrations of a boy and his father lounging in a pile of Fall leaves.
This is such a book to relax into, like the illustrations of a boy and his father lounging in a pile of Fall leaves.
February 20, 2021
My Father is Taller than a tree is a book for Dads and Sons. It talks about all the fun things dads and their sons do. The book was about strengthening a dad and sons bond and the importance of it generationally. I got this book for my husband to read to our boys.
The art was beautiful, colorful and had many scenes of dads and their sons bonding. It looks like colored pencil.
The art was beautiful, colorful and had many scenes of dads and their sons bonding. It looks like colored pencil.
February 14, 2011
Illustrator:Wendy Anderson Halperin
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (A division of Penguin Young Readers)
Published: 2010
Reading Level: Pre-K -- Grade 2
This picture book not only has beautiful crayon drawings, but the layout is unique. The top half of the two-page spread is the main picture and the bottom has multiple pictures that support the main picture (comic strip style without the words). Each page has limited text with simple activities that a child does with his father. Each page has a different father illustrated and the names given to the father change (Pop, Papá, Dad, father). Children of various backgrounds are seen in the illustrations, but the text does not reflect a certain culture. The activities are purposeful in their simplicity. The author is a well-known Native American author, but that does not come across in this book.
I think this text would be a great starter for a class book in the primary grades. The children can talk about what they call their father (some may not have been included in this book, such as Papi) and then their favorite activity to do with him. As with any book related to families, a teacher should be aware of the make-up of the class. If some children do not have a father present in their life, then this book should be read within the context of multiple types of family books in which a favorite activity with any family member/someone special could be included in the class book.
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (A division of Penguin Young Readers)
Published: 2010
Reading Level: Pre-K -- Grade 2
This picture book not only has beautiful crayon drawings, but the layout is unique. The top half of the two-page spread is the main picture and the bottom has multiple pictures that support the main picture (comic strip style without the words). Each page has limited text with simple activities that a child does with his father. Each page has a different father illustrated and the names given to the father change (Pop, Papá, Dad, father). Children of various backgrounds are seen in the illustrations, but the text does not reflect a certain culture. The activities are purposeful in their simplicity. The author is a well-known Native American author, but that does not come across in this book.
I think this text would be a great starter for a class book in the primary grades. The children can talk about what they call their father (some may not have been included in this book, such as Papi) and then their favorite activity to do with him. As with any book related to families, a teacher should be aware of the make-up of the class. If some children do not have a father present in their life, then this book should be read within the context of multiple types of family books in which a favorite activity with any family member/someone special could be included in the class book.
October 1, 2015
Bruchac relates a series father and son relationships through simple rhymes coupled with bright illustrations by Halperin, unifying different cultures together through the similarity of the bond between the two characters. The book describes various activities young boys do with their fathers, showing that although they come from different backgrounds and call their fathers by different names ("pops", "papi", "dad", etc.), they all have memories they hope to share with their own children. The first-person point of view unites each of the sons as they describe activities with their dads, such as, "We rake the leaves out in our yard./ Working together isn't hard." The underlying theme suggests similarities in relationships across various backgrounds-- young boys often regard their fathers as heroes.
The writing is simple enough that early readers can catch on to the sing-song rhythm and rhyme to help them along. The text is coupled with various pictures of the activities, which can also help young readers along with their understanding.
My Father is Taller than a Tree is a great multicultural fiction book for K-1 grades, geared more towards boys. It would be a great book to bring use for a Father's Day celebration, or for talking about families amongst each other. It provides examples depicting children doing different things with their fathers, but ultimately, they love and admire them across the board.
The writing is simple enough that early readers can catch on to the sing-song rhythm and rhyme to help them along. The text is coupled with various pictures of the activities, which can also help young readers along with their understanding.
My Father is Taller than a Tree is a great multicultural fiction book for K-1 grades, geared more towards boys. It would be a great book to bring use for a Father's Day celebration, or for talking about families amongst each other. It provides examples depicting children doing different things with their fathers, but ultimately, they love and admire them across the board.
June 17, 2010
Ideal for a Father’s Day read, this book features pairs of fathers and sons who spend time together. They do so many different things from boating to painting to playing games. The father son pairs are diverse not only by being from different cultural and racial backgrounds but also in their relationships. There are father who wrestle, fathers who need help, father who are artists, fathers who read books. This is a true celebration of the importance of fathers and the many ways that men can be fathers to their sons.
Bruchac’s poem flows over the bottom of the pages, knitting them together. The poem is simple and enjoyable with rhyming couplets that offer the inspiration for the illustrations. Halperin’s illustrations are exceptional. Done in crayon and pencil, they have a delicacy of line combined with a pleasing density of color. Each double spread offers one large image of the father and son and then four smaller images showing details of the time they are spending together. Because of the detail of the pictures, this book is best shared one-on-one and really looked closely at and talked about. The illustrations invite readers in, tell them a story beyond the poem, and allow us to really understand fathers and sons.
A beautiful book that should not be saved just for Father’s Day. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Bruchac’s poem flows over the bottom of the pages, knitting them together. The poem is simple and enjoyable with rhyming couplets that offer the inspiration for the illustrations. Halperin’s illustrations are exceptional. Done in crayon and pencil, they have a delicacy of line combined with a pleasing density of color. Each double spread offers one large image of the father and son and then four smaller images showing details of the time they are spending together. Because of the detail of the pictures, this book is best shared one-on-one and really looked closely at and talked about. The illustrations invite readers in, tell them a story beyond the poem, and allow us to really understand fathers and sons.
A beautiful book that should not be saved just for Father’s Day. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
March 1, 2013
A father and son relationship can be a marvelous thing. As Joseph Bruchac and Wendy Anderson Halperin point out – fathers and sons come in all shapes and sizes and with each other’s help, their relationship can become deeper and more meaningful just by spending time together.
Not all children are as fortunate as the little boys in this book are, so the reader may have to pre-read this story to make sure that it is appropriate for the little one that they are reading with. If it is appropriate, it would make a great book for Father’s Day and then follow it up with a craft project or card for their fathers.
Not all children are as fortunate as the little boys in this book are, so the reader may have to pre-read this story to make sure that it is appropriate for the little one that they are reading with. If it is appropriate, it would make a great book for Father’s Day and then follow it up with a craft project or card for their fathers.
March 25, 2010
If this isn't the all-time perfect wonderful book for Father's Day, I wish someone would let me know a better one. Fathers and sons, a different pair on each page, sit together, sing together, hug, eat, watch a movie, play chess, do yardwork. They communicate, they touch. Just one line per page keeps it simple enough for preschoolers, and Wendy Halperin's soft, bright colored pencil illustrations strike a nice balance between detail and open space. There are older dads and young men, black, white, Asian and Latino dads, a blind dad, country dads and city dads.
Sweet.
Sweet.
April 27, 2010
Wonderful, inclusive book about fathers and all the things they do with their children. Great illustrations from Wendy Anderson Halperin, and a local author to boot (though a departure from his usual Native American focus). Great gift for Father's Day with younger children!
February 18, 2014
It's a wonderful picture book for dads and their sons. It shows the special bond that exists between fathers and sons regardless of skin color. The best line comes at the very end and is a tribute of a son to his father. I highly recommend this book for young readers.
March 19, 2010
Good story about fathers/children, depicts the various things fathers do with their children. Multi-cultural families, fathers with various abilities.
May 13, 2010
The simple rhyming text about dads and sons is sweet, but the art is gorgeous. What Wendy Anderson Halperin can do with pencil and crayons - crayons! - blows me away. Lovely book.
June 17, 2010
i think i'll be going broke at the bookstore tomorrow. This is a wonderfully diverse books about the relationship between father and son.
July 20, 2010
fathers
December 10, 2010
An obvious choice for Father's Day.
January 9, 2015
A lovely, beautifully illustrated tribute to dads and kids.
November 28, 2016
A series of children share their love and special moments and habits with their dads.
August 21, 2014
Beautiful, beautiful pictures and verse celebrating the bond between father and son.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews