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Summary
Summary
Most tall tales are no taller than the teller. This one is taller than a tree - a great-great-grandaddy of a sycamore, just right for moving into, for settling down in and raising children and children and children.
It's a story starting way back in time about one man and something magical happening. Was it his doing? Or nature's?
With a storyteller's lilt and a folk-artist's eye, a writer and an illustrator have made something magical of an Appalachian legend.
Author Notes
Cor can be visited at www.hollowtree.corhazelaar.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-As a carpenter, Harlan Burch plants two trees for every one he cuts. "Somebody else might need a tree someday was Harlan Burch's philosophy." The trees serve another purpose, however, when he realizes that, like the forest animals around him, he can make a home for himself in a hollow tree. The man lived "and lived and lived and lived and lived and lived" in a sycamore, growing younger, not older. He becomes a husband and father, passing away at the age of 142 and leaving his own family tree behind. A comfortable voice enhances the rich, rural narrative. Acrylics on cardboard and linen provide a textured canvas for Shelby's storytelling, and the palette of greens, browns, and blues emphasizes the beauty of the natural environment. Intricate quilt squares, symbolic of Appalachian culture, are integrated into each spread. Loosely based on a traditional family story, this southeastern Kentucky folktale with a gentle message provides a rhythmic read-aloud.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Harlan Burch makes his home in the hollow of a tree ("trees back then were a lot bigger"). He happily proceeds through life, always planting trees, until one day he starts getting younger. His age eventually stabilizes, and he dies at one-hundred forty-two, surrounded by loving family. Folksy acrylic on cardboard and linen illustrations accompany this understated tall tale. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
This rich tale, based on an Appalachian legend, tells the story of the improvised life of Harlan Burch, a philosophical carpenter who builds everything from cradles to coffins and plants two trees for every one he cuts down. On a walk "noticing things," he discovers an enormous sycamore tree that in his opinion would make a perfect home. So he sets up house and contines to work and live for a long time. Then a strange thing starts to happenhe starts to grow younger. He marries, has lots of children and lives in the tree until he dies at 142. Shelby's gorgeous, rhythmic narration artfully shows, without one hint of forceful message, that living to the fullest is about living deeply and conciously. Harlan isn't rewarded with riches and fame, but rather life itself. Hazelaar's pale, country-toned acrylics accented with quilting squaresand in the central, transformative spread, taking the form of a quiltare the perfect folk touch for Harlan, his trees and all that living. Nicely done. (author's, illustrator's notes, key to quilt squares) (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Harlan Burch is a carpenter who makes everything from cradles to coffins. In this folksy narrative, every time Harlan cuts down a tree, he plants two more. One day this friend to the forest finds a giant hollow sycamore tree and moves right in. Tucked inside, he grows older and older, until suddenly his sap rises and he begins to grow young again. His bald head sprouts hair, he grows new teeth, and he takes up dancing, which leads to courtship, marriage, and lots of children. He keeps on living right up to the day he dies at the age of 142. Harlan Burch is gone now, the book concludes. And so is the giant sycamore. But they've still got kinfolks living and living and living all over these mountains. The storyteller's voice is vibrant, and the earth-toned acrylics on textured backgrounds of cardboard and linen have a quaint, collage-like feel. A motif of two or three small quilt squares, each featuring homespun details, is present in each scene. These are explained in the illustrator's note, which ingeniously uses tiny block versions of the quilt fragments to tell the story behind each square. Beautifully designed and charmingly told, this folk tale deserves to live just as long as old Harlan.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2009 Booklist
