The Tree Who Walked Through Time - A Tree Identification Story is a
children's picture book written by Maureen Carroll and lavishly
illustrated by 18 artists who created realistic and fantastical
replicas of trees. This book helps children identify different
species of trees. This book is a flip book, a two-way tale, in that
there are two books in one, with two front covers and no end. The
Tree Who Walked Through Time is a story of an old Cottonwood tree
who takes a stroll down memory lane, exploring the different trees
that grow around him. The Cottonwood, named Prairie Prince, has a
conversation with a boy who has fallen asleep under his branches.
The other side of the book, The Boy Whose Branches Reached the
Stars is the story of a boy named Peter who is unhappy being short
and longs to be tall like a tree. He goes on a stroll through the
woods, exploring the different trees he might like to be, and
eventually falls asleep underneath the old Cottonwood tree. Each
artist contributed at least one tree to the book. As luck would
have it, no two artists chose the same species The artists'
different styles and mediums highlight the unique qualities of each
tree, helping the reader learn to distinguish the various species
shown. Each contributing artist had a particular inspiration for
selecting their tree. Along with their biographies you'll find in
the book a brief description of why they chose the tree selected.
Some of the contributing artists are well known, others yet to be
discovered: Judy Graversen-Algaier, Loretta Hendricks Backus, Kris
Barlow, Shelley Barnhill, Maureen Carroll, Jack Cleveland, Lisa
Grossman, Stan Herd, Rachel Herring, Paul Hotvedt, Steve Howard,
Erok Johanssen, Cathy Martin, Samantha Nowak, Bobbie Powell, Ardys
Ramberg, Sara L. Taliaferro and Libby Tempero. Author Maureen
Carroll had never tried to herd cats before setting out to
coordinate the work of seventeen other Kansas artists for the book,
The Tree Who Walked Through Time - A Tree Identification Story, but
she has never known the meaning of the word "can't." A lover of
rocks and trees since she was a little girl climbing in the
Colorado Rockies, Maureen has worn many hats over the years,
including linguist and cultural anthropologist, mom, public
speaker, gluten-free cook, teacher, photographer, writer, graphic
designer, and all-around Seeker of Truth. Maureen graduated from
the University of Kansas and has taught classes throughout the
United States and abroad. "I started by asking each artist to
select a tree and to show something of what distinguishes that
species of tree from others," Maureen explains. Serendipitously, no
two artists chose the same tree. A few more were added along the
way, including Jack Cleveland's fractal tree (which may grow
wherever the human imagination wanders). "I wanted to introduce
fine art to children, and to use that art to help them learn to
identify different kinds of trees. Ultimately I wanted to serve the
purpose of conservation by creating an emotional connection to the
trees. My artists gave me more than I could have hoped for, which
is wonderful because I wanted to help promote them, too."
Motivation for this community effort to create a children's book
was sparked by the recent cuts in funding to the arts and art
education, particularly as it impacts children. We were also
motivated by our great love for trees and desire to aid tree
conservation by increasing youths' understanding of trees. The
author and artists are looking for book readers, tree lovers, and
art supporters to aid in their cause of raising $25,000 for
children's art education.
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