‘My Friend Tree’ by Dawn Casey with illustrations by Genevieve Godbout is a picture book about a tree and a friendship.

Two friends grow up playing around a big tree. The tree provides many things like shelter and a place to play. The tree drops seeds which the two friends plant and while the tree doesn’t seem to change and grow, the children do.

The lessons here are the resiliency of friendship and the connections to be made with nature. The story is solid and the illustrations are great.

This is a beautiful tale of two friends who loving playing in and around a special tree.
One day they decide to plant an acorn, and, as the tree grows, so do they kids . . . and their friendship deepens. The sweet story is made even more special by the lovely, dreamy illustrations by Geneviève Godbout.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing-Ivy Kids for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. The graphics are gorgeous. I found the verbiage sometimes difficult to locate on the page. Maybe if the words were in a bolder font that would help. There seemed to be no pattern, it felt like just random thoughts. For me, the story lacked continuity. 3 stars I was a little disappointed.

This book was such a sweet story! To follow the girl, the boy and the tree through their time together, helped to demonstrate how things can change over time but still be there for each other. The pictures added a lot to the story and my youngest and I stopped and looked over each thoroughly before moving on to the next page to notice the differences and the details, Thank you to NetGalley and Quattro Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Connection, friendship and nature that is what this wonderful little story is all about for me. The story revolves around an ancient oak tree and a young boy and girl as time goes by. As their feelings grow for each other the forest and nature around them grow too. The story shows all the wonderful things that nature provides for us, no matter our age. I love the artwork of this story. It creates a heartwarming atmosphere perfect for this story. The story is written by folktale writer Dawn Casey and is so well done. The simple rhyming text creates an adorable story your family is going to love. It is a wonderful story to celebrate life and nature. We really enjoyed this book. It was an ebook ARC for us but we will be adding it to our home library to treasure for years to come. This would also make a very wonderful gift for families to share.

Cute picture story book helping children to understand their connection through nature to the seasons & the life cycle of a tree. A unique view on friendship & consideration of others.

I don't just love the page that features one of the two human characters pointing a slingshot at the other, even when it is addressed directly on the following page. It's just a smidge over the line of mischievous in this otherwise beautiful depiction of lifelong friendship.
The text reiterates the many manifestations of "friendship" a big, beautiful oak tree offers the two human characters. The pictures illustrate the text while also depicting the richness of the relationship between the humans.
Moments like "the tree keeps us warm," depicted by gathering twigs, are a weakness that suggest this book began with the (lush and lovely) illustrations. But these instances are satisfactorily outnumbered by more apt examples of what trees have to offer.
The humans becoming adults as the saplings grow slowly is a very nicely done depiction of tree vs human lifespan, though I don't know that the vagueness of the evolved relationships really works well at the end. But the book succeeds anyway, giving us a fresh take on the tree-as-friend genre.

Beautiful book with beautiful pictures! It’s about a friendship between a tree and children. They like to swing, the tree provides food for the animal forest. I think it teaches us to preserve trees and to love them. Read this with my daughters and they like it.

This book is so tender and sweet with soft yet vibrant illustrations! I love the rhyme and gentle introduction to plants. Seeing the little kids grow up, get married and have children of their own alongside the tree is just beautiful.
This is a great bedtime or story time read, perfect for younger children who don't sit very long for stories. I love the instructions and information on planting an acorn as well! Love, love, love this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

My Friend Tree, by Dawn Casey and Genevieve Godbout, is a children’s tale about being mindful of the gifts that nature provides, regardless of the time or the season. From the eyes of a child, a tree can take the form of various aspects in life, from a playground to swing around on, or a shelter for different animals. Casey and Godbout also delves into learning how to give back to something that’s taken cared of its community, even if it’s just one lone tree.

The tree itself reminds me of a quaking aspen. Allegedly, the roots are attached to each other, which symbolizes the importance the tree places on friendship and community. There are certainly similarities between the quaking aspen and the tree in the book, especially with the way it cares for the creatures that live under it, human or not. It holds food for hungry souls along the way, houses those in need of a haven, provides comfort where it’s needed; it reminds me of all the food pantries and local resource centers in my home town (and there’s a lot). These facilities offer a strong backbone to our more vulnerable population. Interestingly enough, oftentimes, we also have volunteers that get food from the food pantry as well, so for the children to give back to the tree spoke volumes to how important it is to take care of one another.

The illustrations are soothing as well. I like the soft edges that the drawing provides, alongside mixing in darker, colder colors with a more vibrant green and yellow. Whenever the children begin dreaming of the forest surrounding the tree, the drawing becomes appropriately majestic. The fact that the actions the children do to give back to the tree are isolated, as though labeling it a small act of kindness, lends to the emotional weight that the children’s actions accomplish.

I would definitely recommend this book for people who grew up with The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It’s a good way to incorporate nature therapy into an educational and/or mental health practice. Because I enjoy meeting with people in the park and other forms of nature, this book has a cozy place in my heart.

A boy and a girl befriend the same large oak tree and see different characteristics in it. As the tree grows, the two characters grow and eventually plant some saplings around their old friend. Soon both the tree's family and the main characters families both grow. The gentle illustrations support all the levels of care found in their friendship.

I need to start by saying that you will enjoy this book a lot more if you had a special tree in your life. And I had plenty, but there is one tree who was very similar to the tree in this story and I always think about that tree.

The story is cute and it is more or less from the POV of the tree, witnessing the kids playing and growing up around it.

I did find the illustrations a bit lacklustre. The colours were a bit too faded and did not catch my attention, unfortunately.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
One boy and one girl meet at their favorite Tree throughout every moment in their lives. From singing and playing to a surprise proposal, these two do everything with their friend, Tree.
A heartwarming tale of growing up and into adulthood, this picture book spans the lives of two people. Beautiful pastels fill the pages that always have the Tree at the heart of it all. "My Friend Tree" teaches us about caring for and respecting nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

The illustrations in this book were just darling! I would've loved this book if it had been on the market as a child. It teaches children a very powerful lesson that trees need to be treated with tender love and care. This is another book I think should be on teacher's and librarians must purchase lists!
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What an incredibly cute, family based, happily ever after story! Sweet and to the point. Feel good. All the things. Loved it!

This book is sweet and sentimental! It reminds me of The Giving Tree, showing how children grow alongside a tree. I love the tips on planting your own tree at the end of the story.

This picture book has soft, dreamy artwork, and the simple story explores the relationship that two children have with their favorite tree, and then also with each other. The book shows growth and change over time, and ends with the friends getting married, growing a family, and planting a tree. Many readers will appreciate the sweet portrayal of a mixed-race family, especially since the book doesn't make any commentary on it. It's just casually represented through the illustrations.

The story feels warm and meaningful without getting too saccharine, and even though the inter-generational element will appeal primarily to parents and grandparents, I think that kids will enjoy this as well. The illustrations and poetic text can make this a cozy bedtime read, and this can also be helpful in an educational setting, teaching kids about trees and about planting trees. There are instructions at the end for how to plant an acorn.

The illustrations are beautiful and whimsical. The story starts well but some lines become off like how the tree keeps them warm? I think the tree was the friend until the two kids were suddenly getting engaged on the tree. A good overall message and I like the end insert on using acorns for an activity.

A sweet narrative shows how growing up around nature, nurturing the space around it, brings new life and changes. From the animals and plants living among the bark and leaves to the ever expanding families. The instructions on how to create.your own mini forest was a cute bonus.

I loved everything about this book! As a Second Grade teacher, the Science aspect of this book fits directly into the Common Core Stsndards for our grade. From a DEI perspective, this book did a beautiful job of including characters of multiple races and ethnicities. It is first and foremost a story of love. The love for nature and humanity jump off the page! It’s such a beautiful story and I LOVE that it has the steps for how to plant an acorn at the end. The blending of Science and the story of friendship and love blend perfectly together. This book would make an excellent present and also will be an addition to my classroom library once it’s published. It will also take center stage in our unit on Ecology. This book is a perfect way to encourage children to love trees!