What do you think?
Rate this book
Picture A Tree
In this book Trees in Your Eyes, author Barbara Reed uses her own unique plasticine to create and shares with us the colorful forms of trees of different seasons, different places and different sizes in the eyes of the artist. It is also closely connected with people's daily life and feelings, so that our cognition and imagination of trees can be continuously expanded and extended.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Reid
81 books46 followersAs a child, Barbara Reid loved reading, drawing, writing and fooling around with plasticine. She kept at it, and has written and illustrated 19 picture books, illustrating more than 25. Her books have been published in over a dozen countries, and her signature plasticine relief illustrations have won many awards including a Governor General’s Award for Illustration and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Her work has been selected for the IBBY International Honour List, Sydney Taylor Notable Books, the Toronto Public Library’s First and Best List and the Ontario Library Association Best Bets. Recently, Picture a Tree received starred reviews in Quill and Quire, the Horn Book, Kirkus and Booklist.
Through workshops and presentations across Canada, Barbara has enjoyed meeting thousands of young readers, writers and fellow plasticine artists. In July 2013 Barbara was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
Barbara’s dimensional artwork is photographed for reproduction by photographer, and husband, Ian Crysler. Barbara lives in Toronto, but is at home in libraries and classrooms everywhere.
Through workshops and presentations across Canada, Barbara has enjoyed meeting thousands of young readers, writers and fellow plasticine artists. In July 2013 Barbara was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
Barbara’s dimensional artwork is photographed for reproduction by photographer, and husband, Ian Crysler. Barbara lives in Toronto, but is at home in libraries and classrooms everywhere.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
October 31, 2015
If you weren't a teacher or a librarian you wouldn't necessarily be aware of how critically important tree units are to our school systems. They're huge. Each and every year when I worked as a children's librarian I would watch as mountains of tree-related picture books got sucked out of my branch by teachers and kids assigned arboreal units. The end result tended to be a hyperaware state where whenever I found myself within a close approximation of a tree picture book my internal radar would start ah-beeping. Imagine, if you will, little invisible antennae rising up on my head when I found myself inextricably compelled to pick up and read Barbara Reid's Picture a Tree. From its magnificent cover to its jaw-dropping interior spreads, Reid has just upped the bar on the whole "tree genre", such as it is. From here on in, when a kid asks a librarian for a tree book, that library had better have a copy of the Caldecott winner A Tree Is Nice on the one hand, and Picture a Tree on the other.
Endpapers display trees in a myriad of forms, from thunderstruck deciduous to the mushrooms that grow on a trunk. Says the text, "There is more than one way to picture a tree". You might consider that the tree sporting birds or snow is engaged in a game of dress-up. Or you might think a tree-lined walkway a tunnel or (seen from above) an ocean. Delving deftly into the many different ways that trees can be seen and interpreted and equated with the humans that dart above their roots, Reid creates all new ways of looking at and enjoying our fine leafy friends. Her final words, "Picture a tree. What do you see?"
I'm a sucker for a glorious glob of Plasticine. Seems I can't get enough of that colorful little substance. My first encounter with it in a children's picture book was the remarkably lovely (and catchy) City Beats: A Hip-hoppy Pigeon Poem by Kelly S. Rammell, illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. In this particular case author/illustrator Barbara Reid is hardly a Plasticine newbie. Her work on books like Perfect Snow cemented her early on as one of our premiere picture book Plasticine artist experts. In Picture a Tree Reid has committed "a Peter Sis". Which is to say, she's made her job harder than it needs be and ended up with something truly beautiful as a result. I don't know Ms. Reid so I can't say whether not she actually said to herself, "Today I'm going to make a book that will require me to make five billion teeny tiny individual Plasticine leaves." Regardless, that's what she's done here. "Five billion" might be a tad bit of an exaggeration but I suspect that if you were to corner Ms. Reid at a party she would admit that's what it felt like in the end. A book of this sort could have worked perfectly well if the trees had been big blobs of color rather than little bitty dots of delightfulness. Hat tip to the artist for going the extra mile.
There are some artists out there (who shall remain nameless) for whom a tricky medium is an end in itself. Were they to work in the realm of Plasticine they would think it a triumph to merely produce something coherent. So what really allows Reid to stand apart from her peers isn't necessarily her love of a relatively new artistic technique but that technique's blending with great storytelling to boot. The fact that she's able to discuss trees in a fun and interesting way without ever sounding cutesy or saccharine is remarkable. Playing in leaves really does feel like "A wild good-bye party" the way she displays it. Ditto a blanketing of snow as a "snowsuit". The text shown here takes its time and carefully considers different seasons and the ways kids interact with trees on a day-to-day basis. Best of all, it balances out urban tree experiences with rural tree experiences. You don't have to live in the suburbs to get what Reid is doing here. Hers is a tree book for all comers, all seasons.
The trick to any good picture book is the marriage of text and art. If you were to frame the art in a picture book, would it stand on its own and in its own right, free of context? And if you received a manuscript of this book with only the words, would you consider it a strong read? What I love about Picture a Tree is that it not only makes for an eye-popping visual jaw-dropper, and that it not only reads like a dream, but that it also fulfills a purpose. Kids need tree books. Good tree books. Original tree books that won't bore them to tears. Reid delivers. Hers is a book you can enjoy any time of the year in any context, tree assignment or no tree assignment. Celebrate Arbor Day early. Grab yourself a bit o' tree. A book that makes its pulped paper proud.
For ages 3-7.
Endpapers display trees in a myriad of forms, from thunderstruck deciduous to the mushrooms that grow on a trunk. Says the text, "There is more than one way to picture a tree". You might consider that the tree sporting birds or snow is engaged in a game of dress-up. Or you might think a tree-lined walkway a tunnel or (seen from above) an ocean. Delving deftly into the many different ways that trees can be seen and interpreted and equated with the humans that dart above their roots, Reid creates all new ways of looking at and enjoying our fine leafy friends. Her final words, "Picture a tree. What do you see?"
I'm a sucker for a glorious glob of Plasticine. Seems I can't get enough of that colorful little substance. My first encounter with it in a children's picture book was the remarkably lovely (and catchy) City Beats: A Hip-hoppy Pigeon Poem by Kelly S. Rammell, illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. In this particular case author/illustrator Barbara Reid is hardly a Plasticine newbie. Her work on books like Perfect Snow cemented her early on as one of our premiere picture book Plasticine artist experts. In Picture a Tree Reid has committed "a Peter Sis". Which is to say, she's made her job harder than it needs be and ended up with something truly beautiful as a result. I don't know Ms. Reid so I can't say whether not she actually said to herself, "Today I'm going to make a book that will require me to make five billion teeny tiny individual Plasticine leaves." Regardless, that's what she's done here. "Five billion" might be a tad bit of an exaggeration but I suspect that if you were to corner Ms. Reid at a party she would admit that's what it felt like in the end. A book of this sort could have worked perfectly well if the trees had been big blobs of color rather than little bitty dots of delightfulness. Hat tip to the artist for going the extra mile.
There are some artists out there (who shall remain nameless) for whom a tricky medium is an end in itself. Were they to work in the realm of Plasticine they would think it a triumph to merely produce something coherent. So what really allows Reid to stand apart from her peers isn't necessarily her love of a relatively new artistic technique but that technique's blending with great storytelling to boot. The fact that she's able to discuss trees in a fun and interesting way without ever sounding cutesy or saccharine is remarkable. Playing in leaves really does feel like "A wild good-bye party" the way she displays it. Ditto a blanketing of snow as a "snowsuit". The text shown here takes its time and carefully considers different seasons and the ways kids interact with trees on a day-to-day basis. Best of all, it balances out urban tree experiences with rural tree experiences. You don't have to live in the suburbs to get what Reid is doing here. Hers is a tree book for all comers, all seasons.
The trick to any good picture book is the marriage of text and art. If you were to frame the art in a picture book, would it stand on its own and in its own right, free of context? And if you received a manuscript of this book with only the words, would you consider it a strong read? What I love about Picture a Tree is that it not only makes for an eye-popping visual jaw-dropper, and that it not only reads like a dream, but that it also fulfills a purpose. Kids need tree books. Good tree books. Original tree books that won't bore them to tears. Reid delivers. Hers is a book you can enjoy any time of the year in any context, tree assignment or no tree assignment. Celebrate Arbor Day early. Grab yourself a bit o' tree. A book that makes its pulped paper proud.
For ages 3-7.
April 15, 2012
Picture a Tree is truly a work of art. The words don’t fall flat with the adults but frankly the kids are focused on the amazing pictures. Each picture is a scene showing the various aspects of trees, their beauty and their place in our lives. Colourful and in three dimensional Plasticine, the scenes are alive.
It’s an inspiring book. Moreover, after we’d read the book, on our next walk, we seemed to notice the trees more. It opened up a conversation, perhaps even a love of nature that we can continue to share for a lifetime.
It’s an inspiring book. Moreover, after we’d read the book, on our next walk, we seemed to notice the trees more. It opened up a conversation, perhaps even a love of nature that we can continue to share for a lifetime.
May 10, 2021
The illustration style isn't my favorite but the whole effect is so fun and inventive I ended up smiling all the way through this book.
September 24, 2012
Full review found at http://www.perogiesandgyoza.com/2012/...
This book is a nominee for the 2012 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards.
Barbara Reid has a long history of Canadian picture book successes. Every Canadian picture book bestsellers list I have seen at Quill & Quire has included at least one of her books. Read Me a Book is a personal favourite.
The reason Barbara Reid is so loved is because her Plasticine illustrations are so unique and inviting. The textures her plasticine scenes provide add extra dimensions to every single one of her books and this one is no different.
A tree seems like a simple thing, and it's one of the first things kids learn to draw. But the trees Reid portrays are more than just a green and brown thing off by itself. She gives us so many different perspectives on trees. These trees are habitats, community members, shades, and mimics of humans.
This is the kind of book that is perfect for the new core curriculum standards. It introduces nature, seasons, a child's place in the world and their neighbourhoods, and new ideas about art. We all really enjoyed all the details.
This book is a nominee for the 2012 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards.
Barbara Reid has a long history of Canadian picture book successes. Every Canadian picture book bestsellers list I have seen at Quill & Quire has included at least one of her books. Read Me a Book is a personal favourite.
The reason Barbara Reid is so loved is because her Plasticine illustrations are so unique and inviting. The textures her plasticine scenes provide add extra dimensions to every single one of her books and this one is no different.
A tree seems like a simple thing, and it's one of the first things kids learn to draw. But the trees Reid portrays are more than just a green and brown thing off by itself. She gives us so many different perspectives on trees. These trees are habitats, community members, shades, and mimics of humans.
This is the kind of book that is perfect for the new core curriculum standards. It introduces nature, seasons, a child's place in the world and their neighbourhoods, and new ideas about art. We all really enjoyed all the details.
April 4, 2013
This is a lovely book, filled as it is with powerful language that encourages readers to look at trees from many different perspective. By doing so, the author writes, "You may see the end of one thing, or the start of something new" (unpaged). I really liked the author's consideration of trees in so many creative. even playful ways. The Plasticine illustrations are filled with colors and plenty of movement, and certainly appeal to the eye. Students may enjoy comparing this one with the earlier A Tree Is Nice (1956) by Janice May Udry, which covers similar territory. Both books are filled with splashes of green that soothe the eyes. The images and text in this book also gladden the heart and make readers want to go for a long hike through the trees.
December 14, 2013
My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. I have no idea why, but I'm glad he did.
At first, I was going to give this book three, maybe four, stars. It was just a bit strange and neither my son nor I really got into it. But, about a third of the way through, my son became very interested, and I, who love trees, was challenged to see trees as more than just beautiful sun-brellas.
The text could stand on its own, but I think the reason that both my son and I became so engaged in this book was because of the wonderfully- textured, Plastecine illustrations. They, the illustrations, breathe so much life in to this book, a former tree.
At first, I was going to give this book three, maybe four, stars. It was just a bit strange and neither my son nor I really got into it. But, about a third of the way through, my son became very interested, and I, who love trees, was challenged to see trees as more than just beautiful sun-brellas.
The text could stand on its own, but I think the reason that both my son and I became so engaged in this book was because of the wonderfully- textured, Plastecine illustrations. They, the illustrations, breathe so much life in to this book, a former tree.
November 28, 2011
This is a great read I received in the mail. My 4 year old son loves it and seems to find a different aspect of the images he hadn't seen previously. The colorful images capture the parallels between the living trees and our human essence.
June 7, 2013
I love the plasticine style illustrations in this, particularly the endpapers. I can see using this with young children and older ones for writing ideas, e.g. Picture an island. I also can see using the endpapers for search and find activites that little one's seem to love.
August 28, 2013
Absolutely awesome plasticine sculptures decorate this of the many things that trees can be for people and creatures, from shade to a home to live in. Would be an excellent choice for a story time on trees for toddlers and pre-school ages.
September 20, 2017
What a great book! I got this out from the library to share with kids for national forest week. It is definitely all about urban trees, not forest trees, but I love how the trees in each illustration have parallels with the humans shown. Really demonstrates how trees can make an impact on people and how they can make you feel. I spent quite a bit of time pouring over each picture - the author/illustrator really made the text and pictures go so well together. Makes you think deeper about the urban trees around you and people's relationships to them. Now I don't even like plasticine (it's so gross when my kids bring it home, I don't want it rubbed into my carpet or couch, and I much prefer them to model with the lovely beeswax they use at their waldorf school than a petrochemical product), but even I thought the illustrations were amazing! Makes me feel like a kid again (when I loved plasticine, and didn't care about the mess or unnaturalness of it). I liked how much expression the people and trees had, and how the fingerprints in the material weren't all smoothed out, but were part of the picture. I would love to see this artist make an illustration in the same style with some modelling beeswax!
October 18, 2018
I loved the clay usage in the illustrations, which is the biggest difference that this book has from any other book. I have never seen this kind of technique before and it was very interesting to look at because it almost looked like a photograph, but was stiff and kind of messy. I haven't thought of what a tree could be before I read this book, but now as the seasons begin to change I will look at the changed in the trees appearances a lot more. I really liked this book because it was simple to read but had a lot of depth behind the words which would be great for open discussion. It was a short book but contained so many ideas of what a tree represents and how it changes when people look at it with a different perspective. Overall, this book was lovely to read and I felt very openminded after reading it. I would love to use this book in one of my tutoring sessions and ask the students to come up with their own way of looking/thinking about a tree.
January 20, 2019
2- 5 year olds
* Beautiful plasticine illustrations
* Simple yet thought-provoking text for younger children (i.e. looking at the size and age of trees (baby - grandparent trees), how trees change in the seasons and have many purposes.
* This naturally encourages text to self-connections and sparks children's curiosity when exploring nature.
* Beautiful plasticine illustrations
* Simple yet thought-provoking text for younger children (i.e. looking at the size and age of trees (baby - grandparent trees), how trees change in the seasons and have many purposes.
* This naturally encourages text to self-connections and sparks children's curiosity when exploring nature.
January 11, 2021
A lovely picture book about the magic of trees. I loved the art and the way trees were showed in all their different stages and roles. My favorite page was the one comparing the trees' ages to the humans' ages. I read this book because it was mentioned in my children's literature textbook as an example of art that shows texture. The art is very unique and beautiful.
May 4, 2018
Challenges you to think beyond the "standard" drawing of a tree -- to really see trees in nature and every day life.
The illustrations are bright and colorful and the text is simple but not dumbed down.
I love the idea of trees as an ocean.
The illustrations are bright and colorful and the text is simple but not dumbed down.
I love the idea of trees as an ocean.
September 17, 2018
This book shows how different trees are during each season. It shows how they look different in different settings and different times of the year. This book may show students how fun and important it is to explore nature.
October 17, 2022
It might only preach to the choir, but maybe I can be hopeful that a story leader or teacher will choose this and create fun lessons to go with reading it multiple times. We need more people to love trees. Curious lack of conifers, though....
December 6, 2017
Stunning illustrations!
November 21, 2018
The author shares the many ways to look at trees.
Illustrations are simple and colorful.
Use to talk about perspective.
Illustrations are simple and colorful.
Use to talk about perspective.
December 25, 2019
It's just terrific, amazing and beautiful.
January 9, 2020
Fabulous art!
August 21, 2020
Seemingly simple text that actually coneys complex ideas and the illustrations are riveting.
October 30, 2020
As always, Barbara Reid is awesome!!
January 19, 2021
I love her illustrations. The text was decent.
September 14, 2021
I loved this original look at trees and all the ways to consider their appearance, let alone all the good they do us!
January 2, 2023
gorgeous
Read
March 30, 2024:)
September 19, 2025
Honestly, I don't understand how this book was published.
April 20, 2018
This book would be great for talking about creativity and ends with a possible writing prompt. The book discusses all of the many ways that people may think about a tree.
December 2, 2013
An enjoyable read with interesting asides on almost every page, Picture a Tree narrates the story of trees big and small, young and old, often paralleling a tree’s life with the human life cycle and expressing their part in our everyday life. Reid uses lyrical prose along with colourful images to tell the story. It starts with the bare trunk of a tree in winter, and slowly builds the trees’ characters, filling each tree with the features that make a tree a tree, such as the curvy lines of a trees branch or trunk that we can sit on for comfort when we need friendship and support. As the story flows you gain a new appreciation for the role trees play.
Reid uses plasticine as the medium to create the images, which add depth, texture and character not only to the image, but to the text. She also juxtaposes images on opposite pages to show, for example, the contrast of trees in different seasons, such as winter and summer. Her use of colour seems to set the mood, sometimes solemn and sometimes excited, but always interesting. The images always relate to the text, but not always in a literal sense, for example “a wild goodbye party” has images of children playing in fallen autumn leaves. Barb Reid uses metaphors to express what she wants to say in text and picture, “a tunnel or an ocean” (p.10-11) using the perspective image of a tree lined street, that seems like a tunnel, and the word ocean in a sea of blue sky, but when you lower your gaze you see an ocean of green, yet it is really the green tree tops that go off into the horizon. The idea of using metaphors leads to exploration of the images, which for younger children especially, adds interest to the story. Almost every page has an interesting aside, such as the beagle dog that appears in many of the pages, or the skeletons of birch tree trunks that seem to have humorous faces and arms that dance around. On a side note, it is printed on paper from responsible sources, and ten percent recycled paper. This book gave me a newly found respect for the trees around me, and is definitely a book to read, with the added bonus of unique interesting imagery created using plasticine.
Awards:
Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Award, the Shining Willow Award
The Libris Awards 2012 Children's Picture Book of the Year.
EPL Picks - 100 More Great Books to Read Together, 2013 - Toddlers (2)
Finalists-2012 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards
Finalist for the 2012 Governor Generals Award for Illustration,
Finalist June 2012: Picture a Tree a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
Reid uses plasticine as the medium to create the images, which add depth, texture and character not only to the image, but to the text. She also juxtaposes images on opposite pages to show, for example, the contrast of trees in different seasons, such as winter and summer. Her use of colour seems to set the mood, sometimes solemn and sometimes excited, but always interesting. The images always relate to the text, but not always in a literal sense, for example “a wild goodbye party” has images of children playing in fallen autumn leaves. Barb Reid uses metaphors to express what she wants to say in text and picture, “a tunnel or an ocean” (p.10-11) using the perspective image of a tree lined street, that seems like a tunnel, and the word ocean in a sea of blue sky, but when you lower your gaze you see an ocean of green, yet it is really the green tree tops that go off into the horizon. The idea of using metaphors leads to exploration of the images, which for younger children especially, adds interest to the story. Almost every page has an interesting aside, such as the beagle dog that appears in many of the pages, or the skeletons of birch tree trunks that seem to have humorous faces and arms that dance around. On a side note, it is printed on paper from responsible sources, and ten percent recycled paper. This book gave me a newly found respect for the trees around me, and is definitely a book to read, with the added bonus of unique interesting imagery created using plasticine.
Awards:
Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Award, the Shining Willow Award
The Libris Awards 2012 Children's Picture Book of the Year.
EPL Picks - 100 More Great Books to Read Together, 2013 - Toddlers (2)
Finalists-2012 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards
Finalist for the 2012 Governor Generals Award for Illustration,
Finalist June 2012: Picture a Tree a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
May 29, 2013
How do you picture a tree? Do you see a drawing on the sky? A tunnel? An ocean? A sun umbrella to stop on your hot walk home? What do you see? These are just some of the ideas that Reid puts forward in her picture book that pays homage to trees and their ever-changing beauty. Starting with the spring and moving through all of the seasons, this book will have you looking into the trees around you and noticing them even more.
Reid’s text here is simple but very effective. She gets you dreaming of your own answers and also seeing trees from all angles and all seasons. The true focus here though is her art. Done entirely in Plasticine clay, they have a wonderful three-dimensional quality to them and are anything but simple. In fact, the detail is amazing and will keep readers gazing long after they complete the words on the page.
An awesome addition to any Arbor Day, Earth Day, tree-related or seasonal story time or unit, this book should inspire all of us to wonder about trees. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reid’s text here is simple but very effective. She gets you dreaming of your own answers and also seeing trees from all angles and all seasons. The true focus here though is her art. Done entirely in Plasticine clay, they have a wonderful three-dimensional quality to them and are anything but simple. In fact, the detail is amazing and will keep readers gazing long after they complete the words on the page.
An awesome addition to any Arbor Day, Earth Day, tree-related or seasonal story time or unit, this book should inspire all of us to wonder about trees. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews