A wonderful, engaging children's book

books:


	• Father Like A Tree Matthew S. Field Matting Leah Pub Co, 2005 - 48 pages average customer review:based on 28 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A New Family Favorite

Father Like a Tree by Matthew S. Field has instantly become our family favorite "read aloud" bedtime story. It is a sweet story about a family of birds yet it is so much more.
When I first read it to my seven year-old son he understood the literal story line about the mother bird and how she builds a nest in the tree for her family, how she teaches her babies to fly and feed themselves and how she eventually says good bye to them as they fly off to build nests of their own. Each time I read the story my son understands the parallel the author so vividly portrays between the "Father Tree", the "Mother Bird" and their "Children". He is delighted with himself each time he points out one of the parallels that link the mother bird to me or one of the baby birds to himself or his sister.
Because of Father Like a Tree, my son has leaned that although I love him dearly and provide for all his needs right now, eventually there will come a time when I will have to show him how to provide for himself. He understands that that is the natural way of things and nothing to be frightened about. He knows that a day will come when he will say to me as the baby bird says to the mother bird, "It is time to strike out and build a nest of my own." And he knows that I will reply as the mother bird has, "I love you," as I watch my baby bird spread his wings and fly into the world knowing that I have taught him well and there is nothing to fear.
Father Like a Tree is a wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated masterpiece that will soon become your family's favorite as well.

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A wonderful, engaging children's book

Father Like a Tree is a wonderfully told, beautifully illustrated book that grew from the most innocent of origins: a "tell me a story, Daddy" moment. It's a simple story that young children will understand and invariably want to hear more than once, but it also communicates its own special message to parents who will one day watch their own little ones spread their wings and leave to build a nest of their own elsewhere.

Some might say this book is really about the bird that builds her nest, raises her baby birds, and sees them off into the world (i.e., the mother), but I really like the "father like a tree" analogy. The bird lays the eggs, sees to the babies' needs, and teaches them how to survive on their own, but all the while the tree is there to shelter and sustain the little family, a less visible but very active participant in the whole child-rearing process. When the youngsters leave the nest, the tree misses them just as much as the mother bird does, and both stand ready to welcome them back when and if they return to visit.

I'm no art expert, but I know what I like, and I really like Tom Hedderich's illustrations; they have a wonderfully natural, vibrant look and feel; in a way, just looking at them instills a sense of peace in the viewer. I'm sure that children will enjoy examining them, especially with all the little woodland critters worked into the background of many of them.

Books like this encourage parent-child interaction and help instill a sense of the joy of reading in the little tykes. You won't even have to pretend to be interested in what you are reading to your child because Matthew S. Field's story speaks to parents as much as it does to children (unlike many a children's book out there). Parents who share books like this with their young children will not be among those asking "why can't Johnny read?" a few years later.

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A Tender Story for All Ages

"Father Like a Tree" is a book that parents will find very moving as they read it to their children; it is full of tenderness and truth, and has a quality rarely seen in literature made for young people. It expresses deep maturity and emotions that a mother or father would have on seeing their children grow, teaching them their lessons, and knowing they will eventually find their way in the world.

The story is told from the perspective of a mighty tree, where a beautiful bird builds her nest, and lays three eggs. Once hatched, as the mother bird feeds and tends to her baby birds, the well written narrative repeats certain passages, which will help a child fully understand the significance of what the mother is doing, and the meaning of the words. Matthew Field is a marvelous writer, as well as a father of three, and the seeds of this magical tale were planted when his youngest daughter asked him to tell her a "new story," and "Father Like a Tree" was the inspired story he told her.

The illustrations are very special, and one can see the affection between the birds in their eyes, and their stylized and wonderfully drawn faces. There is a humanity to all the creatures depicted that we can relate to, and there are many animals in the forest to capture a child's attention, from a family of rabbits to a curious squirrel watching the birds from another branch in the mighty tree. Illustrator Thomas Hedderich is an expert artist in many genres, and in this book uses his watercolor technique to create a bird of many colors, and lots of leafy greens, but his biggest achievement are the highly expressive eyes of these lovely birds.

"Father Like a Tree" is a high quality book with thick, semi-gloss pages and excellent color reproduction. The font size is large and clear, and will be easy for a child to read when he is old enough, as this is a book that will appeal to all ages, and will delight a child for many years.

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