Picture Book - The Universe is a Tree by Laura Filippucci

Illustrated by the author

2018, Creative Editions

HC $ 18.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.90 - 10 ratings

My rating:  5
Endpapers:  a beautifully drawn tree in greens on white, with two poems/quotes:  one fby Charles Darwin, the other from Katha Upanishad.

My comments:   Oh my gosh, I love this book.  I love trees.  I love short, clear poetry and meaningful quotes.  So both of those are covered really well...and the illustrations are glorious!  The short explanation about each of the trees is interesting and readable, so that you can read the entire book without skimming.  Hoorah!  I wish I could have the opportunity to see them all.  I think I'll start a buck list based on these trees...

Redwood (Trees are Creators)
Kauri (Trees are Ancestors)
Oak (Trees are Temples)
Cedar of Lebanon (Trees are Homes of the Gods)
Yew (Trees are Gates to the Beyond)
Kapok (Trees are Channels to Other Worlds)
Baobab (Trees are Givers)
Sweet Chestnut (Trees are Protection)
Olive (Trees are Bearers of Peace)
Ginkgo (Trees are Healers)
Banyan/Bodhi (Trees are Founts of Wisdom)
Bristlecone Pine (Trees are Keepers of Secrets)

"To be like these, straight, true and fine,
to make our world like theirs, a shrine;
Sink down, Oh, traveler, on your knees,
God stands before you in these trees.
          -Joseph B. Strauss, from "The Redwoods"
NOTE:  This is MY kind of god!

Goodreads: Trees are teachers, healers, protectors, creators. They keep secrets. They bring peace. This rich anthology of stories, proverbs, and poems about trees from around the world reveals that a tree's roots not only go down deep into the earth, but its branches also reach up and out into the universe, connecting us all, across time and space. May we peer through the forests of our imaginations to see the beauty and experience the awe that still arches over our world.