★ 01/30/2023
In this spectacular wordless tale that takes a long view of time’s passing, Becker (Journey) spotlights a single tree’s life cycle against a changing backdrop of human conflicts, technological change, and natural events. On the bank of a winding river where the light is clear and brilliant, a young tree grows, and diminutive figures raise a structure nearby. A pastoral existence soon gives way to a fortified building on the riverbank, and humans clothed in red and blue seem to prepare for war. A page turn reveals the results: the castle is destroyed, the tree remains, and a city grows up amid the ruins. Technology arrives, with railways and steampunk-style airships; then an industrial landscape, in which gloom pervades the atmosphere; and a futuristic, artificially illuminated night. The tree, its great limbs spreading, is languishing. Another page turn suggests cataclysm as the river runs high and the tree is almost submerged. But an acorn drops—and life persists, starting the cycle anew. In a sweeping, carefully detailed work that’s visually reminiscent of Anno’s Journey, Becker distills a lengthy timeline into bite-size rises and falls whose beats offer hope and solace for the long term. Ages 5–9. (Mar.)
Having established himself as a picture-book creator unafraid of taking the long view, Becker offers an oddly comforting look at how wars, floods, and humanity itself can pass in just a blink of an eye. . . . Look upon this work, ye mighty picture-book creators, and despair. A stunning accomplishment.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Esteemed illustrator of wordless books, Aaron Becker, presents a new offering which takes on the environment and industrialization. . . . Whether using this as a lap book where the reader can appreciate the details of each setting or as a commentary on the importance of being good stewards of the land, this title serves as a beautifully crafted cautionary tale.
—School Library Connection (starred review)
In this spectacular wordless tale that takes a long view of time’s passing, Becker (Journey) spotlights a single tree’s life cycle against a changing backdrop of human conflicts, technological change, and natural events. . . . In a sweeping, carefully detailed work that’s visually reminiscent of Anno’s Journey, Becker distills a lengthy timeline into bite-size rises and falls whose beats offer hope and solace for the long term.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Becker explores many big ideas—including war, humanity’s impact on the environment, and the resilience of nature over time—through a science-fiction lens. . . . The pencil, gouache, and digitally painted illustrations are imaginative, precise, and enigmatic. . . Becker’s world-building feels cinematic thanks to his dramatic use of color and light. This picture book is sure to spark much discussion regarding humanity’s relationships with and responsibilities toward one another and the natural world.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
Becker delivers another wordless tale with highly detailed illustrations that readers will pore over as they follow the story of the rise and fall of a civilization and nature’s ever-present witness to the endeavors of humankind. . . . Becker’s illustrations are fascinating to behold and his wordless storytelling could serve as a prompt to begin a unit on the development of human civilization or the impact of people on the environment. Fascinating and thought-provoking, this title deserves a spot next to Becker’s other masterpieces of visual storytelling. Thoughtful and highly engaging.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Whole societies are encompassed in the fixed panels of Aaron Becker’s latest wondrous wordless picture book, proffering awesome reminders of both the impacts and impermanence of human progress.
—Foreword Reviews (starred review)
Aaron Becker, teller of the brilliant wordless fantasies ‘Journey,’ ‘Quest’ and ‘Return,’ brings children ages 4-10 to a sumptuous but disquieting destination in 'The Tree and the River,' a picture book that presents a time-lapse portrait of an imagined riverine valley. . . . Mr. Becker’s lines are as delicate as ever, and, as in his other books, he introduces fanciful touches of warmth and intriguing details.
—The Wall Street Journal
A smartly drawn, creative take on our cyclical world. . . . that’s Becker for you. He’ll make budding anthropologists and archaeologists out of the lot of them. The Tree and the River. A book unafraid to assume that your kids are smart enough to figure out what it all means.
—A Fuse #8 Production
★ 05/05/2023
PreS-Gr 2—Becker delivers another wordless tale with highly detailed illustrations that readers will pore over as they follow the story of the rise and fall of a civilization and nature's ever-present witness to the endeavors of humankind. In a green valley a tree is rooted along the edge of a meandering river. First a house is built, then a town, and the tree is witness to the development. As time passes a city rises full of wondrous innovations but eventually that crumbles as well; the tree remains in its spot. Environmental challenges have their impact and nearing the story's end the tree is beaten and worn but it produces acorns that fall into the river and take root just around the bend from the original tree. While humanity has seemingly been eliminated completely by the conclusion of the book, readers will find that perhaps a different future can be created with a more harmonious relationship between civilization and the natural world. Becker's illustrations are fascinating to behold and his wordless storytelling could serve as a prompt to begin a unit on the development of human civilization or the impact of people on the environment. VERDICT Fascinating and thought-provoking, this title deserves a spot next to Becker's other masterpieces of visual storytelling. Thoughtful and highly engaging.—John Scott
★ 2022-11-16
A wordless memento mori considers our fleeting human existence in the span of a single tree’s life.
Having established himself as a picture-book creator unafraid of taking the long view, Becker offers an oddly comforting look at how wars, floods, and humanity itself can pass in just a blink of an eye. For most of the book, a tree standing on a single spit of land, hugged by a river, is the focus of the story. One can gauge how much time has passed not by the tree, which ages naturally over the years, but by the civilization that grows up around it, from early settlers who build along the banks to an industrial revolution, modernity, and eventual ecological collapse. Meticulous care is taken with every detail in Becker’s pencil, gouache, and digital paint illustrations, leading young readers to try to piece the story of these peoples, ancient, modern, and futuristic, over time. Yet one is ultimately left with a sense of hope. Our world may descend into chaos on occasion, but new life is always on the horizon. With its tiny people (indeed, mostly too tiny to distinguish skin color or features) and distant views of civilization, the book brings to mind some of the best of Mitsumasa Anno’s titles, if Anno had been occasionally influenced by Blade Runner. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Look upon this work, ye mighty picture-book creators, and despair. A stunning accomplishment. (Picture book. 4-9)
