Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A child processes loss and embraces renewal when a beloved backyard oak must be removed. The tree has been a constant companion—whispering in spring, whooshing in summer, cackling and crunching in fall, and whistling in winter. But when the old oak begins creaking ominously, an arborist determines, “It’s time.” The young narrator’s parents nod knowingly, but the little one hasn’t prepared for this goodbye. As a crane dismantles the tree branch by branch, the family presses leaves to preserve memories. After, the yard feels eerily quiet—until weeds sprout between the woodchips “like the start of a new idea.” The family plants a butterfly garden and a sapling, with the protagonist promising to watch over the young tree as the old one once watched over the child. Kurpiel’s narrative is spare and straightforward, leaning heavily on sensory language to convey the tree’s seasonal transformations. The family is rendered warmly in mixed-media illustrations—pencil sketches layered with digital dry media and watercolor brushes. Soft, rounded shapes create a comforting visual rhythm, while warm earth tones and cool blues establish emotional resonance. A standout spread bathes the empty yard in deep blue evening light, fireflies glowing against the ghostly outline of what once was. The compositions showing the tree’s gradual reduction use swirling circles effectively to represent time’s passage. The protagonist is pale-skinned and dark-haired; the family appears to be mixed race. A soothing, uncomplicated meditation on nature’s cycles and letting go.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.