 
|
Each book in the Gus series shows Gus daydreaming that he is a fish, a tree, a snowflake or a bird. Gus Is a Tree shows Gus in the schoolyard, where other children are running, playing tag and ball, hollering and shouting. Gus, who loves trees, is sitting peacefully under a tree.
As Gus begins to nod off, he remembers the walks he took with his father in the forest. He can vividly recall the sounds, smells and tastes associated with trees. He begins to dream that he is a big old tree, surrounded by birches, oaks, beeches and other trees. Gus’s branches sway in the wind and rock him just like his mommy does when he is sitting in her lap.
The sun is setting, and stars begin to appear in the night sky. A mama wild boar and her babies make their way across the woods. The night is not scary but feels like a whole new day just beginning. Owls and bats fill the night sky. A dormouse scurries out of a nearby tree. A family of squirrels scrambles down Gus’s trunk. Soon it is morning again, and Gus hears voices telling him to wake up. He rouses himself to find that he is back in the schoolyard, and his friends are gently prodding him to go inside since it is raining hard.
This is another charmer in the Gus series about the power of a child’s vivid imagination. Olivier Tallec’s gorgeous, realistic paintings of the woods bring so much beauty to Gus Is a Tree. Like other books in the series, Gus Is a Tree has a word index at the end to help a child master the new science- and nature-related words in the book. Highly recommended for any budding nature lover!
|
|
Gus Is a Tree