Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees by Michelle Schaub

Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees Reviews

• 
  Rebecca Gardyn

  What a fantastic poetry collection with SO many layers. Not only does it take the reader on a road trip across the US (geography) to introduce us to famous and significant trees (science, nature, and history), but it does so through poetry, providing examples of FOURTEEN different types of poems (poetry/writing). So beautifully written, yet so educational! Also, the illustrations by Anne Lambelet bring so much life to all this history and science, with gorgeous colors and textures. A fabulous book all-around. 5 stars!
• 
  Beth Anderson

  A perfect choice to explore poetry, along with history and nature! Illustrations are beautifully designed, engaging, and fascinating! Each poem format fits the subject and comes alive on the page. Truly amazing collection that crosses curriculum and offers options galore for exploration and meshing science, history and language arts. TREE-mendous!
• 
  Sandy Brehl

  I have nothing but praise for this new picture book which is structured with individual poems about specific iconic trees, paralleled by informational sidebars providing details and background about that tree, beyond the rich content of the poems themselves. Each poem is also in a particular poetic form that is named and explained briefly, and each is masterful in execution.
  The premise is revealed in end papers that feature the named trees and poetic forms on leaves with brief descriptions, followed by a double-spread map of the continental USA showing the trees, their approximate locations, and the coast-to-coast-and-back route that the imagined explorers are traveling. The explorers on this journey represent a diverse and delightful family, with others along the way equally representing our mosaic of Americans.
  
  Some trees are familiar (Japanese Cherry Blossom trees in Washington, D.C.) while most will be exciting discoveries and offer new connections to familiar history. In the same way, the poetic forms range from those that will be familiar to even young children (list poems, narrative poems) to forms that offer entirely new challenges and fun.
  
  The blend of poetry and informational text is well-balanced and appealing, moving readers from the lyrical lilt of a poem that evokes emotions and reactions to the nonfiction content that is accessible and often intriguing. The only drawback to this lovely new offering is my question about how it will be shelved-- with poetry, with nature, with history, with geography, or...? The good news is that Leafy Landmarks offers such appeal to individual readers and for use by teacher and librarians, it is not likely to be left for long on whatever shelf is used. Give it a look and plan to hit the road!
  
  Whether you and your own carload of leaf-lookers attempt cross-country travels like these, or locate one of these remarkable living-history trees within a day-trip of home, just learning about them should be an inspiring mind-trip for readers of any age.
• 
  Kathy Temean

  This picture book has everything a reader could want. Beautiful illustrations that help tell a story jammed pack with interesting information kids, parents, and teachers will gobble up. 
  
  I love the text you wrote for the map that kicks off the story:
  
  Hit The Road
  
  Come take an arbor road trip
  in search of sights TREE-mendous;
  landmarks of the timber kind,
  with stories quite stupendous.
  We’ll seek out trees superlative
  in height and size and age;
  others famous for their role
  on history’s grand stage.
  We’ll zigzag up steep mountainsides,
  meander shore to shore,
  and learn about these trees through verse.
  Branch out, and let’s explore!
  
  And I adore the colorful map showing the little hands marking up the map with colored pencils, crayons, to mark the route for their trip. Every illustration Anne Lambelet created for this book is perfect. 
  
  Michelle Schaub's poems use different poetic forms to tell the story of a family crossing the United States to visit 14 historical tree sites. What a great fun way to share interesting information about each stop along their journey. It was pure genius. In addition to the poems, I love how Anne used the endpapers to show the leaves from the trees featured in the book and how each leaf had a description of each poetic form that readers can use to help them try their hand at writing that type of poem.
  
  Example: Etheree: a 10-line poem. The first line has
  1 syllable. Each line adds a syllable until the
  tenth line has 10 syllables. Etherees can also
  “shrink” from 10 syllables to 1.
  
  Teachers will love this book since it opens doors to so many lesson plans children will be eager to soak up.
• 
  Mandy

  Children's nonfiction, nature poetry. This book shares leafy landmarks-- famous trees throughout the United States. While some of them are fairly well-known; such as the DC Cherry blossoms, Petrified Forest, and Redwoods, there are several that I had not heard of. Each page features a poem about the tree, with the type of poem labeled, the location and species of the tree, and then a blurb about why it qualifies as a famous tree. Many have historical significance, such as a tree planted after a Founding Father signed the Constitution, or the lone elm tree that survived the Oklahoma City bombing. Others are of scientific interest, such as a moon-tree planted after NASA took the seed to the moon.
  
  It is an easily readable book, with the poetic forms giving it some variety. Endpapers include brief definitions of the types of poetry, front matter includes a map of the US with the trees all starred, and back matter features information on how to track down trees locally and nationwide as well as encouragement to plant your own tree. While I would have appreciated actual photographs of the featured trees, this is still a really cool collection. I did not see an art note but the illustrations are full-page, full-color, and show the diversity in trees represented.
• 
  Katey Howes

  Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees is an un-be-leaf-ably fun, smart, and re-readable collection of poetry for kids and adults alike. Much like the coast-to-coast road trip the book represents, the "destinations" can be read in one adventure, or browsed and enjoyed one at a time. Throughout the collection, Schaub and Lambelet draw readers' attention to trees across the United States, each with significant historical meaning and fascinating stories. The poems and art capture emotion, nature, and connection, while each spread also includes nonfiction information to help readers dig deeper into the stories of each tree. A range of poetic forms (simply and clearly defined in the endpapers) and a variety of clever wordplay keeps attention and gives young poets room to grow and explore. With ties to science, art, history, geography, English, discovery, community, and responsibility, this title has so much to offer every classroom, library and home collection!
• 
  Laura Stegman

  I learned SO MUCH from this book, aimed at kids but a must-read for any age!
  
  This fascinating picture book begins with an explanation of poetry forms, then dedicates a page to fourteen different historic tree sites, each with a paragraph of information and a poem designed to foster awareness, love, and respect for trees. Beautifully written by Michelle Schaub and illustrated by Anne Lambelet, it's a book that I loved and from which I learned SO MUCH. I can't stop telling my friends about all the different things I discovered, from the Nebraska oak that inspired Arbor Day to the Pando Aspen Grove of thousands of trees that cover 106 acres in Utah but actually stem from a single root system that has spread and sent new trunks above ground over a space as big as 90 football fields. Aimed at ages 6 to 9, this book is, in fact, a must read for any age! Don't miss it!
• 
  Nora Nickum

  There are so many wonderful layers to this book: lovely poems to read aloud which also introduce the reader to many different kinds of poetry formats; an invitation to discover different tree species; concise, compelling stories from US history linked to specific landmark trees; an overall feeling of hope, inspiration; and back matter that encourages readers to visit other landmark trees (while minimizing impact on them) and to plant trees in their own neighborhoods. Michelle Schaub has written beautiful poems and interesting, easily digestible sidebars, and Anne Lambelet has done vibrant illustrations that follow the same family as they explore the landmark trees on a road trip around the country.
• 
  Julia Wasson

  This book is a TRIP! A family takes a road trip to experience the range of trees that grow across our country, from the flowering cherries of the capitol, to groves of aspens in Colorado, to the General Sherman in Sequoia National Park. I thought I knew a lot about trees, but I had never heard of the Emancipation Oak or the Wishing Oak. Amazingly, the appreciation of each tree is expressed in ingenious individual poetry formats, with additional information in sidebars. Each spread is beautifully illustrated, taking us home to the best tree of all - the one by our own door. Each type of poem is defined in the end papers, and readers will be intrigued to try their own versions. Impressive achievement.
• 
  Eileen Meyer

  LOVE this TREE-mendous Book!
  Take a road trip across the USA and learn about important trees in our nation's history . . . some ancient and some newer. Travel by poem with Michelle Schaub's lovely lyrical words and Anne Lambelet's gorgeous illustrations. . . along the way you'll learn incredible history, get better acquainted with poetry, and revel in glorious trees from Cherry Blossoms, to awesome Aspen Groves, to bristlecone pines. This book is for readers from 0 to 99 - everyone will learn something new and be inspired to plant your own special tree this spring! Highly recommended for your library AND for gift-giving.
• 
  Katy Tanis

  What a fun concept. The author seamlessly intertwines poetry, trees, and US History. The book is set up like a fun little road trip to see some of the coolest trees in the USA. Each poem is written in a different poetry which is identified with the poem. Layered text gives additional context to the poems when needed. An infographic on leaves at the beginning of the book defines all the different poetry forms used.
  
  The text and illustration are intricately woven together. Many of the compositions are dynamic and on arches -- like they are going grow right out of the page.
  
  The perfect book for a budding dendrophile.
• 
  Jane Healy

  Love this for the different poetry forms used, the science, the geography via road trip idea, and the trees themselves! Each spread has a poem about the honored tree, facts about the tree, and engaging illustrations of the tree in its setting with the road trip family enjoying the tree and each other. It's too bad that the cover doesn't show here, because it's a joyful illustration of the family--with dog--on the road among trees. I had never thought of trees as historical landmarks, making this a unique book. I am thinking about other potentially historical trees that the author did not include.
  
• 
  Jolene Gutiérrez

  This beautiful book is just what I would've reached for when my kids were younger and we were taking lots of road trips. I'm still excited to use it in my classroom because Michelle Schaub uses a variety of different poetry formats to write about specific trees in different locations. Definitions of the types of poetry are included in the back matter, making this a wonderful book to use as a mentor text for various poetic forms.
  
  Anne Lambelet's illustrations are impressing, showcasing a variety of types of trees, and the back matter includes information about helping trees and going on your own tree sightseeing road trip.
  
  Highly recommended for all homes, schools, and libraries!
• 
  Leslie Barnard Booth

  I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful book about 14 famous trees across the continental US and the history behind them. Framed as a road trip, this collection of poems offers readers insight into the nation's past, while also celebrating some of the most steadfast witnesses to this history: trees! From moon tree to petrified forest to bristlecone pine, these poems are sure to ignite children's curiosity about trees, and about the past. Engaging illustrations and gorgeous poetry make this a must-have for classroom and home!
• 
  Lindsay Metcalf

  This book is filled with awesome layers. Vignettes about historical trees tie into various subjects of interest, including history, math, biology, and geology. Among all the poems you start to see just how diverse trees are, and how they have impacted and interacted with humans. The beautiful poetry is written in a variety of interesting forms, all defined for young readers and writers to replicate easily on their own. The art feels grand and sweeping while inviting discovery on repeated reads. Highly recommend!
• 
  Emma Smith

  This book is incredible! If you love trees, history, poetry, or America, you'll want to buy this for a young person in your life. Each spread highlights a different tree somewhere in the US. The text includes a short poem as well as a longer text explaining where it is and why it's special. The author also notes the different kinds of poems she uses on each page.
  
  In the vibrant illustrations we see a family traveling around the country to visit each tree. The front of the book features a map and the family's route and the location of each amazing tree.
  
  
• 
  Kate Allen Fox

  A wonderful-written and beautifully-illustrated introduction to both famous trees and to poetic forms! Unlike anything else on the market, the browsable format allows kids to explore rare and famous trees while also learning different poetic forms. The poems themselves are beautiful and compelling, creating a sense of awe. Lush illustrations will pull readers in to learn about these natural wonders. Great curricular connections and reading experience!
• 
  Laurie Thompson

  There is so much to love packed into this perfect picture book! It's a lovely sampling of poetic forms, each defined in the endpapers. It's a collection of historical and biological facts about some particularly noteworthy trees across the United States. And it's a love letter to trees in general. The poems themselves are wonderful. The artwork is vibrant and fun. This is an absolutely beautiful book to be enjoyed again and again.
• 
  Judy Sobanski

  Michelle Schaub brilliantly takes the reader on a trip across the United States finding various historic trees. A beautiful book that combines facts about historic trees with lovely poems that provide whimsey, fun, and thoughtful moments throughout the book. Cool end papers explain the various poetic forms. Gorgeous illustrations created by Anne Lambelet portray a family's cross-country journey to find the trees.
• 
  Mary

  History, geography, biology, and poetry are all included in this picture book for older children. Learn about famous trees in the U.S. through poems and informational text. This book may pique interest in travel! It will likely need to be advertised/assigned by adults, and studied as a class or with guidance.
• 
  Susan

  Poetry fans, history buffs and naturalists of all ages will love this poetic tribute t0 historic trees across the United States. Each spread introduces a different poetic form (explained on the end papers) and shares a bit of history and a poem about each tree. Lyrical and clever writing paired with beautiful illustrations.
• 
  Laura Gehl

  Each poem in this book is a treasure, and I loved learning about the important trees spotlighted. This book is an amazing resource for encouraging a love of poetry and a love of trees in young readers.
• 
  Katie Logonauts

  Such an inspiring book! I loved learning about all the trees featured and the history behind them. The poems were varied and creative, and this would be a great resource for teachers, as so many unique poetry styles are represented!
• 
  Heidi Yates

  Leafy Landmarks is nature book full of fascinating tree facts. The poetry and artwork are beautiful. I love everything about this book!
• 
  Julie Dahlin

  A beautiful read during afternoon fika.
• 
  Danielle Wood

  I think this book could win a Newbery OR Caldecott. The illustrations were beautiful and the poetry was fantastic. I loved it!
• 
  Rainbow Unicorn

  This book was not a story so much as an illustrated encyclopedia with some poems. We DNF it.