School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 2-4 A horse chestnut tree in the courtyard next to Anne Frank's secret annex serves as the focal point in this beautifully subtle picture book. Beginning with a quote from Anne's famous diary describing "the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew," the spare text and delicate illustrations create a moving and powerful ode to the tree that gave Anne comfort and hope during the years she and her family hid from the Nazis. Bearing witness to Anne's life in the annex, the tree serves as a fitting surrogate for readers, watching as Anne's story unfolds yet having no power to affect the outcome. Simple phrasing keeps the narrative poignant without becoming overly dramatic or sentimental. Mild anthropomorphizing gives the tree heart. Monochromatic illustrations rendered in brown ink are exquisitely detailed in fine lines and shading, conveying a solemn beauty befitting the book's subject. Additionally, the narrative choice to tell Anne's story through a series of moments deftly captures its pathos and importance, distinguishing this work from similar titlesJane Kohuth's Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso's Anne Frank and the Remembering Tree . Details of Anne's arrest and death are presented in a brief yet thorough afterword, as is a list of the American locations where saplings from the chestnut tree have been planted in her honor. VERDICT A noteworthy and highly recommended introduction to a difficult and significant topic. Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

The tree outside Anne Frank's annex window observes her life there, taking on a central symbolic role as it relates the iconic story. With its focus on symbolism and lyricism and its strangely peaceful tone, this might serve as a gentle introduction to Holocaust history, but its vagueness is problematic. Sepia-toned ink illustrations suggest the sadness and distance of old photographs.

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Starred Review With subtlety, Gottesfeld tells Anne Frank's story from the perspective of the glorious horse chestnut tree that grew outside Anne's father's factory and stretched up to the annex attic where her family and others were hidden. Given the narrative's point of view, the most disturbing details of WWII and the Holocaust are not elaborated upon, maintaining a gentle detachment that makes the dramatic episode appropriate for the youngest of students. The poignancy of the parallels between Anne and the tree becomes pointed when readers realize that young Anne dies before help arrives, and though many make tremendous efforts to rescue the 172-year-old tree, it still succumbs to its age. Yet Anne and the tree live on as explained in the author's note: Anne through her writing; the tree through its saplings. McCarty uses his stippled pen-and-ink style to great effect here: the shapes are soft, and the sepia ink conveys somber but warm sensitivity, all while maintaining a whisper of realism that hints at the dire circumstances Anne and the tree both face. McCarty's piercing portrait of Anne on the closing page, looking out her window and gazing directly at the reader, is particularly stunning. Haunting and deeply affecting, this take on Anne Frank's iconic story will be one readers won't easily forget.