★ 11/14/2022
Toggling between two timelines, Wynter (Everybody in the Red Brick Building) tells a warm, affectionate story behind a cherished pecan tree and an intergenerational family. In an opening sequence, several Black-presenting children, including one wearing a pair of sturdy overalls, enjoy rural pleasures: climbing a huge pecan tree, resting on a wide farmhouse porch, and reveling in just- baked pecan pie. In the other timeline, the Nell of the title, who wears an old-fashioned yellow dress, finds a seed, buries it in a pot, and tends the resultant sapling until it can be planted outside. Deliberately paced page turns reveal that the pecan tree the children are climbing is the same one Nell planted, and that Nell, much older, is now the matriarch of a large, lively family. Pen and ink, gouache, and collage artwork by Miyares (Big and Small and In-Between) exudes the golden light of autumn, and prose by Wynter shimmers with evocative sense words—it’s almost possible to smell the pie. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator’s agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges. (Jan.)
"Toggling between two timelines, Wynter tells a warm, affectionate story behind a cherished pecan tree and an intergenerational family. Pen and ink, gouache, and collage artwork by Miyares exudes the golden light of autumn, and prose by Wynter shimmers with evocative sense words—it’s almost possible to smell the pie." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gorgeous images and text chronicle joyful childhood experiences—a future classic." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wynter’s text sings with the economy and elegance of a poem, and specificities delight (“a leaf flecked with holes”). Miyares’s illustrations, which capture light especially well, reflect the wonder of friends, family, the outdoors—and the magnificence of a tree that began when 'Nell picks up a seed.'" — Horn Book (starred review)
"Miyares' pen-and-ink, gouache, and collage illustrations pair well with the two story lines, effectively expanding the concept of a family tree being both a physical tree and a representation of loving relationships." — Booklist (starred review)
"In two stories that speed gracefully toward each other… Miyares creates breathtaking paintings that share and further the dance of words. The lines are lyrical but tight, not a word out of place. A story of a tree, of generations, of mindfulness, and a wonderful way to show how small acts have far-reaching consequences." — School Library Journal (starred review)
"A beautiful homage to how the labor and vision of previous generations can benefit so many who come after. Miyares’ illustrations capture that ineffable sense of home... and gouache collage lends each spread a timeless glow that is perfectly suited to Wynter’s text. This would be an excellent read-aloud choice for Arbor Day or Earth Day." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"Wynter’s prose is spare, lighting like a little blue bird on the moments that matter, and it combines with Daniel Miyares’ recognizable ink and gouache artwork to skillfully elicit the feel of a lazy summer day....Generations of readers will be inspired by this sweet story to plant seeds of their own." — BookPage
"Care, growth and abundance for the future — in both tree and family — make this a vital, timely book." — Toronto Star
★ 04/28/2023
Gr 1–4—In two stories that speed gracefully toward each other, a modern one from the present back through time, and the title story, from the beginning to the moment it meets up with the modern one, readers learn of a seed that becomes a tree and all of its bounty. There are members of a Black family, climbing the majestic branches of a pecan tree, baking pies with its harvest, even falling off it after losing a grip, and then there is Nell as a child, who plants a pecan in a large pot till it sprouts, transplants it as a sapling to a piece of land, tends it, then grows up, begins her family, often in the shadow of the ever larger tree. As the book comes to a close, and Nell's yellow dress is seen to become her trademark, even in her older years as a family matriarch, readers will realize that they met her in the early pages, and the circle is complete. Miyares creates breathtaking paintings that share and further the dance of words, which use italics and roman typeface to let readers know when they are in the past or present. The lines are lyrical but tight, not a word out of place, with Nell's active role in the past both told and shown, while in the present, she is a bustling member of the background cast, as her many young relatives take the spotlight. VERDICT A story of a tree, of generations, of mindfulness, and a wonderful way to show how small acts have far-reaching consequences.—Kimberly Olson Fakih
★ 2022-12-14
Linked stories about the planting and multigenerational use of one tree unfold in rhythmic verse.
Before children reach for the branches and climb a tree, Nell, a young Black child, holds a seed. Before awestruck children find a nest filled with eggs and watch them hatch, Nell plants the seed. Before children race from the house to the tree, before a child finds a perfect spot for reading under the tree, before sacks of pecans are collected and sweet pies are baked, Nell nurtures the seedling with sunlight and water, then plants the tree. Playful, lovely text alternates between quickly flowing verses on spreads with the children at their grandmother’s home and slower, methodical verses accompanying images of a young Nell planting the tree. As Nell grows from a young mother to a grandmother, with the same white house in the background, the tree also grows and grows until it shelters several generations of Nell’s family. Readers will delight in watching as time goes back and forth, showing connections between past and present in nature and in the family. Pen-and-ink, gouache, and collage illustrations in a muted, nature-inspired palette give a slightly old-fashioned, atmospheric feel to this rich portrayal of an African American family rooted to the land. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gorgeous images and text chronicle joyful childhood experiences—a future classic. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 4-8)
