Written by Claire Babin
Illustrated by Oliver Tallec
Enchanted Lion, 2008
$14.99 each, ages 3-8, 32 pages
As a boy rests against a tree, he dreams that his feet have rooted into the ground and he's sprouted branches in this exhilarating French import.
In this second book in the Gus nature series, Gus steals away to sit quietly under a tree while other children in his schoolyard peel around and play.
He loves the grooves of the tree's bark, the way the leaves shimmer above him and the earthy fragrance of the wood.
With his back against the tree, he closes his eyes, reaches up with his hands to stroke the bark and remembers a walk through the forest with his father.
As memories of twigs crackling underfoot return, slumber takes him and Gus dreams.
In his imagination, he's a big old tree with thick branches for arms and bark striped like the sleeves of his shirt.
