PPBF – I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me

Another beautiful and thought-provoking Perfect Picture Book from Enchanted Lion Books. Enjoy!

Title: I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me

Written By: Sylvaine Jaoui

Illustrated By: Anne Crahay

Translated By: Claudia Zoe Bedrick

Publisher/Date: Enchanted Lion Books/2025 (originally published in France/2021)

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: birth, nature, differences, similarities

Opening:

I am a seed.

Me too!

I fatten and grow.

Me too!

Brief Synopsis: A back-and-forth conversation between a seed that becomes a tree and a child.

Links to Resources:

·      Check out these free kids’ gardening ideas;

·      Try these activities that show how you are alike and different from someone else;

·      Take a walk in a park or forest and discover the many trees living there;

·      Check out these “trees and me” activities.

Why I Like this Book:

With stunning, soft-hued illustrations, including cleverly placed die cuts on almost every spread, and simple, straight-forward text, I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me shows our connections to nature. Beginning at inception, readers see how a seed and a fertilized human egg grow to become a tree and a young child and how they interact and need each other.

Taking turns, the duo declare what they are, what they have, including strong roots, and what they need, including warmth, sunshine, and someone to take care of them.

Because the dialogue is sparse with a call and response “Me, too” following many of the declarations, I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me is perfect to read aloud to young children, especially in families expecting new babies. This is a picture book that kids, and their grownups, will want to read again and again as they ponder the similarities we share and the connections we cherish with other living beings.

A Note about Craft:

Jaoui utilizes first-person point-of-view throughout the narrative, but unlike most picture book authors who utilize this point-of-view, she features two narrators: the child and the tree. In the last spread, she adds additional characters who answer “Me, too” in their own languages, driving home the point of how we are all connected.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!