In Bruce Whatley’s spectacular visual narrative of One Tree written by Christopher Cheng, Whatley
wanted an illustration style that
reflected Chinese culture and tradition.
The outcome is a stunning series
of full-page linocut-look illustrations whose beauty will leave readers in awe
of his talent in transforming text.
This is a significant story told in first person
narrative from the point of view of a boy, perhaps taken from Christopher
Chen’s own rich background. It could be anyone’s story.
It speaks of an earlier
generation when every day was lived to the fullest, when older members of the
family taught their life to the younger ones through stories.
They spoke of
their villages or homes, the people they met each day, and their repetitive
routines that meant so much. Conversations that filled their evenings were about
experiences in nature, the things they loved to do, look at, and the landmarks
of their life, such as the tallest tree that could be seen from the top of the
mountain.
But that is no longer the case for this grandfather
whose life is a room in a city apartment. There are no trees or a single thing
of nature within his view except the
fading picture of his mountain that hangs on the wall. And there are no
more stories. He sits silent and sad.
When the boy finds a spouting plant in the cracks
of a path, he knows that grandfather will know what to do with it. Can this
sprouting life help grandfather’s smile find its way back to him? Will his
voice once again allow the stories flow?
Title:
One Tree
Author:
Christopher Cheng
Illustrator:
Bruce Whatley
Publisher:
Penguin, $24.99
Publication
Date: April 2019
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9780143786733
For
ages: 5+
Type:
Picture Book