PreS-Gr 1 Readers will fall in love with Maple, whose parents planted a tree in her honor when she was "still a whisper." Each page turn shows the child growing, playing, and seeking refuge under her leafy companion. She sometimes longs for the friendship of someone who can play with her ("The tree wasn't very good at throwing snowballs") and wonders if the tree feels the same way. One day, Maple is surprised to realize that there's a sapling growing next to her tree, and she soon discovers that a sibling of her very own is on the way. The crispness of Nichols's lush, leafy illustrations on each thick white page helps Maple's adventures around the little sapling stand out. This may be Nichols's debut picture book, but the only thing green about this effort is the perfect shade of a maple leaf. This is a fresh addition to the standard new sibling fare, and young naturalists will identify with Maple's adventurous and tender spirit.— Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

When she was still in her mother's belly, Maple's parents planted a maple sapling in her honor. As the tree grew, so did the girl. Maple, who could be loud at times, sang songs to her tree, swayed around it, and even, sometimes, pretended to be a tree. Seasons passed, and through strong winds and falling snow, "Maple and her tree still had each other." Then things changed. A tiny wisp of a willow tree is planted, just as Maple's mother is about to give birth again. Turns out the noisy baby, Willow, is just as enchanted by the maple tree's shifting leaves as her older sister. This sweet story about seasons of change and love in different forms reads like a wistful recollection of childhood. Nichols is a talented debut author and illustrator: her voice is quiet and unique, and her pencil-on-Mylar illustrations, digitally colored, are similarly both nostalgic and fresh in feel. Share with siblings-to-be and, of course, anyone named Hazel or Juniper.

When she was "still a whisper," Maple's parents planted a tree. The pair grows up together, and Maple is a thoughtful playmate and caring friend (in autumn, she gives the bare tree her jacket). Before too long, her considerate habits prove useful for big-sisterhood. Nichols's emotive pencil drawings, glowing with digitally applied color, narrate much of this gentle, cyclical companionship story.

Debut talent Nichols explores the relationship between a girl and the tree she-s named after, planted by her parents in her honor. It-s less a story than a string of