Thea's Tree

Thea's Tree

Written and Illustrated by  Judith Clay

Karadi Tales

Ages 4-7

Living as she does in a concrete jungle, the only trees little Thea  has ever encountered are the ones that thrive in her parents’ childhood  memories. Mama talks of climbing  them, Papa remembers collecting fruit to eat.  But the grim world they live in offers little hope for Thea ever doing the same. Cue for a miracle – a single leaf that  flutters by Thea’s window one day, accompanied by the magical sound of rustling leaves. . “Where there’s a leaf, there has to be a tree”, she declares, and sets off on a solitary quest behind the leaf.  But when she finally catches it, something unexpected occurs. Will Thea find her tree, and a chance at the kind of childhood  her parents enjoyed?

Thea’s Tree is a feel good story without much conflict or adventure , so at a casual glance, it would seem more likely to appeal to younger readers.  Add to this  Judith Clay’s whimsical illustrations  that  combine collage with simple line drawings and leaf imprints – her  characters are quirky, with their triangular bodies  and impossibly upturned necks. Scale and perspective are playfully toyed with too, especially in the spreads where Thea chases her  leaf through the grim, treeless city.  

And yet, I wouldn’t call this a simple book, given the layered themes  its story suggests. There is its strong environmental message, of course, and there is  a  shout-out to the importance of following your heart and dreams.  The book is also an ode to the simple pleasures of childhood that are increasingly threatened by consumerism – Thea is alone in her yearning for a tree; not a single child she meets shares her dream, or seems to understand the importance of trees.  

On  a more personal note,  the book resonated with me as a sort of anti-GivingTree - remember Shel Silverstein’s  heartbreaking (some would say sadistic and grimly patriarchal as well)  paean to selflessness and  all-sacrificing love?  “Why do you want a tree?”, a pivotal character in the book asks of our diminutive heroine .” Do you want to build a hut or a fire…(or) make it into newspapers and books?”  As one of the legion left traumatized by Silverstein’s callous Boy, Thea’s response was for me a quiet reaffirmation of life and humankind's ability to give back to the environment that nurtures it.

Thea’s Tree was listed in the White Ravens 2011 catalog of notable and remarkable  international children’s  books.

An electronic version of this book was sent to me by the publisher for review; all views expressed, however, are my own.