The Tree That Would Not Die

The story of a five-hundred-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas, is told from the tree's point of view, covers the nation's history that took place during the tree's lifetime, and describes the malicious 1989 poisoning that nearly destroyed it.

Grade 1-3?The "Treaty Oak" in Austin, TX, becomes a wise old storyteller in this beautifully illustrated tale. From its sprouting from an acorn through the years of "First Peoples," European settlers, slavery, the Depression, and other historical events to the attempt to poison it in 1989, this tree tells all. While the sweeping full-color illustrations lend drama to the account, the text itself sometimes seems contrived. Events are transferred to the spot where the oak grows to make the story a better vehicle for chronicling the plight of Texas and various Texans. Its anthropomorphic wisdom about human shortcomings becomes annoying. But by the end of this story, the adventure of the building of Texas is fraught with human frailty, and this great old tree seems badly in need of counseling.?Steve Matthews, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 6^-9. Told in the first person from the viewpoint of the Treaty Oak, a 400-year-old oak tree that was poisoned in 1989, this picture book chronicles American history from the seemingly narrow perspective of what the tree might have seen. And it saw plenty: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Levine handles the difficulties of persona and time frame with grace, using sensory details to give immediacy to the quickly shifting scenes. Beginning with the acorn sprouting into a seedling, the tree tells of the birds and buffalo it shaded and the first people, who met beneath its branches. Later the Spaniards came, then Stephen Austin, who is said to have made peace with the Indians at the "Treaty Oak," as it is now known. The tree saw pioneers clear and plant the fields, watched Texans locate their new capital on the land, and hid an escaped slave in its branches. Cowboys herded their cattle nearby. Railroads, paved roads, and telephone poles crossed the land. People who lost their jobs during the Depression slept under the tree. Threatened by modern developers, the land around the tree was made into a park. Children will feel wrenched by the tree's poisoning but heartened by the outpouring of love, prayers, poems, and money to help save the Treaty Oak. Beautifully designed and painted, the artwork records the growth of the tree and the drama of unfolding history in a series of engaging spreads. Particularly effective are the scene-within-a-scene pictures of the young tree and the use of black pages for the poisoning. Without personifying the tree or diminishing its dignity, both Levine and Rand tell its story in a way that makes readers care, perhaps even moving them to tears. Carolyn Phelan