Melinda J. Irvine

Me, the Tree by Ann Louise Ramsey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the past 3 years I’ve been hunting for quality children’s books for my adopted son Jerry. Living here in the Philippines I often stumble across wonderful books in second-hand bookstores in cities. It’s only recently I realised that (because we’ve been reading them together) it would be a nice way to give back to the authors and write a nice (and honest) review for each of them.

So I’m starting with Me, the Tree which I found in a little book store in an old shopping mall in Iloilo City a few days ago. This lovely book is a combination of original photographs, computer generated art, and poetry all created by author Ann Louise Ramsey.

While the story appears to be about about the life-cycle of a tree, it’s actually far more elaborate. The book actually takes us deeper into the journey of a soul who finds their truth as a growing tree. The beautiful photos/illustrations create an additional depth to the story helping children conceptualise a soul contained inside a tree. It’s a book that delighted my 10 year-old (English Second Language) adopted son as well as me when we read it together.

Anne Louise Ramsey has personified the tree, both in the poetry and by generating a set of loving eyes into the photographs displaying each piece of the tree’s life journey. And Jerry loved looking for those distinctive blue eyes on each page as I read to him the lyrical verse accompanying the illustrations on each page.

This is a book we’ll be reading again and again as it captures the spirit of love, personal truth and living in harmony with our natural world — values so important to the new generation and emerging custodians of our planet. What a delight to find this book.

© 2018 Melinda J. Irvine

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• Location: La Paz, Iloilo (Philipppines)