The Tenement Tree

by Kate Seredy

Young Tino has never seen the country but when his aunt visits his New York tenement her drawings and the boy's imagination create a wonderful countryside with a tree tenanted by all kinds of animals.

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Seredy (Serédy Kató) was a gifted writer and illustrator, born in Hungary, who moved to the United States in 1922.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of a sickly city boy in the earlyh 20th century who goes to stay with his artist aunt in the country sounded more like my sort of book than it was. Mostly what it is is the precious imaginings of the boy about nature which are then illustrated by the aunt. So if you like whimsical imaginings about animals, go for it.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read, a children's book. It's longer than a picture book, but shorter than most chapter books. It is a story about Tino who knows that his Aunt can see magical things and he wants to see them too. The problem is that his father doesn't think there's much use in magic. One day, his aunt comes to the city and they are able to share the magic together. After Tino gets sick, he accompanies Aunt Trina to the country and makes the discovery of an huge old tree full of (animal) creatures. Tino discovers--reporting his findings in riddles--and Aunt Trina draws what Tino sees. One day Tino realizes that the tree is like his tenement house in the city. Together Tino and Aunt Trina prove that having a magical mind can be valuable.

The drawings in this book are NOT to be missed, just fabulous! Kate Seredy does her own artwork.

I think this would make a nice read aloud for a five to six year old.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Antonio "Tino" Conti, a young city boy with a vivid imagination who spends his summer in the country with his Aunt Trina, and tells what he sees while she draws pictures of what he describes. Tino's imagination and his aunt's drawing skills make for an imagination feast to be shared by all.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated story of a little boy who goes to the country and learns to use his imagination as he observes nature.

[Mariaessigaol.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolutely favorite children's book. I read it to my son often. Seredy celebrates imagination in this book and shows how art can open minds and change perceptions. Highly recommend it!

[LaLine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way the author compared an apartment building to a tree. The main character was able to understand his world by comparing and contrasting the people he lived around to the creatures living in and around a tree. Very cleverly written.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of an excuse for Seredy to show off her incredible talents with page after page of incredibly detailed illustrations that show all kinds of different animals, each with character and appeal. The story is OK, but the pictures more than make up for any shortcoming.