The Witness Trees

“Our roots run deep. They grip history, a restless forever,” explains our Witness Tree narrator, noting that these designated trees have seen historical events, keeping record of the past in the whorls of their trunks. The Bodhi Tree shaded Siddhartha as he found enlightenment; a Flower of Kent dropped the fated apple for Sir Isaac Newton; a honey locust on the fields of the Battle of Gettysburg watched blood sink into the soil; hackberry, gingko, and black pines “swallowed the heatflash of a thousand suns” in Hiroshima; the Callery Pear tree remained tall as the Twin Towers fell; and the Big Tree of Rockport, Texas withstood the howling winds of Hurricane Harvey. Van Cleave’s decision to pull on both legend and historical fact works to the book’s advantage here, underscoring the idea that trees are witness not just to events in human history but also to the narratives we create around them in our attempts to shape an unpredictable world into orderly stories. The trees have no need for such order, anchored solidly into the earth, and the somber tone and poetic text have an aloof thoughtfulness–not coldly emotionless but distant enough to see an arc of wonder in the progress of the world. The smooth, balanced digital illustrations showcase each tree, paired with a thumbnail note of more specific details, expanding upon the imagistic prose. This would pair nicely with Bunting’s The Gentle Genius of Trees (BCCB 12⁄22) for a comprehensive look at the biology and history of our foresty friends.

⭐️ A gallery of stately trees around the world associated with times and events both historic and prehistoric.

Along with showing an adept hand at portraying botanical detail and a sense of individual character for each of these 21 trees, Đóm Đóm underscores their significance and longevity by posing historical figures and children of eras past and present in or around them–from the Buddha sitting with two young adherents, one light-skinned, one tan-skinned, beneath the “Bodhi Tree” where he found enlightenment to Abraham Lincoln next to a honey locust near the Gettysburg battlefield, visitors contemplating a Hiroshima “survivor tree,” and a lone Callery pear in New York that weathered the fall of the World Trade Center. Each tree is paired with an inconspicuous identifying caption and, more prominently, poetic reflections from Van Cleave: “Our roots run deep– / they grip history, / a restless forever.” Though the more speculative ages the author assigns to older “witnesses” may be exaggerated (80,000 years for the clonal aspen Pando takes no account of intervening glaciation, for instance), he does admit that Newton’s apple tree is actually a descendant of the original. To a world map showing each witness tree’s location he also attaches briefer notes on 11 more and, sadly, lists several renowned ones that have died or been destroyed in recent years. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Moving and, as a way of connecting today’s readers to significant moments of the past, effective. (afterword, timeline, bibliography)(Informational picture book. 7-10)

“Our roots run deep–/ they grip history, / a restless forever,” open the incantatory first-person plural lines propelling this tribute to historic “witness trees.” Though largely U.S.- and U.K.-centered and haphazardly organized, examples of figures linked to trees range from Siddhartha to Robin Hood to Jesse Owens, while instances of major events include the War of 1812, the bombing of Hiroshima, and 9⁄11. A white-presenting contemporary family visits the sites as historical scenes happen. Luna–the redwood that Julia Butterfly Hill occupied–is given its due, as is a water oak tree once climbed by Helen Keller and the horse chestnut that resided outside the attic in which Anne Frank’s family hid from Nazi forces. Đô´m’s landscape illustrations comfortably portray historical and geographical scenes; human figures, shown with varying skin tones, resemble cartoon animation. By piling on examples, Van Cleave impresses upon readers trees’ enduring power. Back matter includes an author’s note and timeline. Ages 6-9.

Ryan G. Van Cleave wrote his first poem at age five, and he’s been writing, reading, and loving poetry ever since. He earned a Ph.D. in American Literature with an emphasis in poetry and has taught at numerous colleges and universities. Currently, he runs the creative writing major at Ringling College of Art and Design. As The Picture Book Whisperer, he helps celebrities and high-profile clients write picture books and kidlit projects.

m m is an illustrator who uses his art to sow seeds of joy. He has illustrated multiple books and lives in Vietnam.

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