• About Me
  • Writer’s Corner

Elizabeth Fais

~ Where awesome begins…

Elizabeth Fais

Tag Archives: Trees

3 TREE-rific Informational Picture Books

14 Sunday Mar 2021

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Picture Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arbor Day, Balboa Park, Charlotte Guillain, Earth Day, Elizabeth Fais, environment, H. Joseph Hopkins, Jill McElmurry, Kate Sessions, Lita Judge, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Sam Usher, San Diego, The Tree Lady, The Wisdom of Trees, Trees, What Did The Tree See?

There is a wealth of amazing informational picture books on the market today, in every subject and category. Each one beautifully illustrated and wonderfully told. So much so, I have a hard time limiting my purchases whenever I wander into a local bookstore. With spring almost here and Earth Day and Arbor Day coming next month (April 22nd and 30th respectively), now is the time for trees.

I can’t say enough good things about these TREE-rific informational picture books, so I’ll let their stories and artwork do all the talking.

The Tree Lady

The Tree Lady

Written by H. Joseph Hopkins
illustrated by Jill McElmurry

The Tree Lady is the true story of how one tree-loving woman changed a city forever. Kate Sessions arrived in San Diego in 1883 and looked out over an arid and barren landscape. Her vision transformed San Diego into the botanical jewel it is renowned for today. She received many honors for the work she did, but the one that pleased her the most was being called the Mother of Balboa Park. This book is a must read for anyone who doubts that one person can change their world.

The Wisdom of Trees

Written and illustrated by Lita Judge

The story of a tree is a story of community, communication, and cooperation. Although trees may seem like silent, independent organisms, they form a network buzzing with life: they talk, share food, raise their young, and offer protection. Trees thrive on diversity, learn from their ancestors, and give back to their communities. Trees not only sustain life on our planet––they can also teach us important lessons about patience, survival, and teamwork.––Synopsis

Lita Judge’s lush illustrations are matched with the beauty of poems and easily interpreted scientific explanations about the Secrets of the Wood Wide Web. This book provides a depth of insight and knowledge about forests and the animals and other life forms that make their homes within. The Wonder of Trees is sure to intrigue readers of all ages.

What Did The Tree See?

Written by
Charlotte Guillain
Illustrated by Sam Usher

As the might oak tree tells her life story in lyrical prose, we experience her joys and losses as the landscape changes around her over the centuries. The timeline at the end describes the historical milestones over the tree’s lifetime.

Story ~ Organic symbolism & the language of flowers and trees

08 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Story, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Alyson Noel, botanical, codices, Elizabeth Fais, Ernst Lehner, Evermore, flowers, Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Johanna Lehner, Katherine Applegate, Plants and Trees, red oak, Samantha Gray, secret language, Stacey Lee, Story, symbolism, The Secret Language of Flowers, The Secret of a Heart Note, Trees, Victorian, Wishtree, Writing

Symbolism deepens the emotional core of a story, enhancing the three-dimensionality of characters and their relationships. It’s pure magic when done well, but it’ll ooze like a didactic plague if not.

Spring flowers, bouquet

An elegant way to weave symbolism organically throughout a story is through the use of flowers, plants, and trees.

Say it with flowers

It may surprise you that flowers have secret meanings. From Victorian times, and earlier in the Middle East, flowers were used to convey messages due to social mores that dictated suppressed feelings. Society’s stringent rules created a secret language of courtship, love, and friendship through the use of flowers.

For example, daffodils represent new beginnings, lily of the valley imply a return of happiness, bluebells stand for constancy and everlasting love, and tulips (especially red tulips) symbolize perfect love.

Evermore, coverThrough the secret language of flowers, you can layer added depth to a character’s feelings and intentions. But be aware that the colors of certain flowers carry their own significance.

Take tulips, for example, red tulips are associated with true love, while purple symbolize royalty, and white tulips are used to claim worthiness or to send a message of forgiveness.

Alyson Noel used red tulips to portray the quality of the love between the characters in Evermore: The Immortals series.

There are numerous resources for the hidden meaning of flowers. I’ve offered links to a couple of botanical codices below, and there are any number of web sites dedicated to the language of flowers.

Tell it with trees and plants

Tree and plant symbolism was woven through Egyptian and Celtic cultures, and is still influences us Wishtree, covertoday. If flower symbolism doesn’t work for the characters and theme of your story, trees and plants may be an option.

The maple tree is a symbol of strength and endurance. While the willow tree represents mystical powers and a spiritual alignment with the moon, because it thrives near water.

Katherine Applegate used a red oak as the main character in her middle grade novel, Wishtree. An appropriate choice, since the oak is a symbol of wisdom. To the ancient Celts, the oak also represented durability, purity, and constancy.

Stacey Lee weaves an expertly rich tapestry of botanical symbolism throughout her evocative coming-of-age novel, The Secret of a Heart Note. Mimosa is one of the two remaining aroma-experts (aromateurs), and she uses her mystical sense of smell to help others fall in love—while protecting her own heart at all costs.

At once, hopeful, funny, and romantic, Lee’s lyrical language brings the characters and plants to life. You might even catch a hint of the poetically rich aromas as they find their way off the pages and into your heart.

Botanical codices

  • The Secret Language of Flowers, by Samantha Gray
  • Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees, by Ernst and Johanna Lehner

red tulips


14th YAppiest Giveaway WINNER! “Rootless” by Chris Howard

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Giveaway, Winner!, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, Chris Howard, Dystopian, Elizabeth Fais, Environmental Crisis, Post-Apocalyptic, Rootless, Trees, YA, YAppiest, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon


The 14th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Rootless, by Chris Howard. A gripping dystopian story where … Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees.

Cover for "Rootless" by Chris Howard

And the Lucky Winner Is…

… Drum roll …

~oOo~

Tami

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*** Tosses buckets of confetti! ***

~oOo~

I’ll contact you via email in case you miss this post.

Coming Up Next!

The 15th YAppiest Giveaway! for Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth is just around the corner, so…

Stay Tuned!

For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.

Book Covers for Giveaways

0.000000
0.000000

Calendar

January 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Jul    

Enter your email address to have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Join 236 other subscribers

It's really me!

  • Elizabeth Fais

Life is Tweet

Follow @elizabethfais

Recent Posts

  • Wisdom of Richard Peck ~ Writing for young readers
  • The Writer and Rabbit Who Saved the Countryside
  • 3 TREE-rific Informational Picture Books
  • Musings from the Writing Cave
  • MG Review ~ HOW I BECAME A SPY
  • The “Creative High” is real!
  • MG Review: Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Past Posts

Officially SCBWI


Member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Reading Fun

Advice for Writers

I Write for Apples

Author Photos


Categories

Adventure Amazing but true! Animals Animation Blake Snyder Book Reviews Books Cats Character Dancing Disneyland Elizabeth Fais Fiction Fun Facts Funny Videos Giveaway Giving Back Holiday Humor Inspiration Middle Grade Movies Music Mystery Nonfiction Paranormal Reading Romance SCBWI Shakespeare Story Supernatural Thriller Winner! Writing YA YAppiest Young Adult Zombies

Keeping It Real

wordpress analytics

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Elizabeth Fais
    • Join 236 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Elizabeth Fais
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...