Entre Mes Branches by Nicolas Michel

 I received today two beautiful children's books published by La Joie de Lire, a children's books publishing house located in Suisse. In this first one, Entre Mes Branches

by Nicolas Michel, writer and journalist with an adventurous existence spent in France, and then Finland and Ouganda, it is taken in consideration with great beauty, tenderness and at the same time vigor, the existence of trees. This book wants to introduce to children starting from 6 years, the world of trees. 

Wonderful illustrations close to little phrases written in first person, that must be taken as meditations, let's start to saying that, surely, a tree can't walk, and it doesn't make a lot of noise, but its life on this Earth is populated by many encounters and facts.

A tree is incredibly useful for animals: they can eat some of his fruits, lost during the fall; but children will also discover which animals and birds enjoy to keep company to the tree during  the nights and days: a tree can represents a house for birds, internally or externally; for children, when they build a tree-house! in a large one, or just when they do a picnic organized by their parents under the shadow of a big tree. 

A tree will discover, during its long existence, good and bad weather; sometimes it loses branches or it can be severely damaged: in other cases it can be cut by wood-cutters for keeping people warm or also, for building beautiful ships, the example taken in consideration in the album. 

Being wood synonime of life, a tree will continue to whisper also under other semblances, although, considering the last illustration, maybe no one can fight against the immensity of an ocean with a whale approaching the surface close to a tiny little ship...

Children will understand thanks to this book the harmonic existences created by a tree, and the other animals gravitating close to it or in its branches. 

A tree can be a shadow, a companion, a refugee, a house, a suggestive place: it can presents to the other animals, humans included, a reassuring presence.

If we would read this book with the eye of a tree, we would discover that a tree is a great companion and offer wagons of hospitality to humans, animals and whoever want to spend some good time in its company, withouth asking nothing in return.

Highly recommended children's book.

I thank La Joie de Lire for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori