Tanglewood by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Vivienne Goodman. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978
Highly recommended. Picture book. Environment. Friendship. I found
myself gulping back tears from page one as we hear of a tree,
Tanglewood, alone on an island in the middle of nowhere. Dolphins
swim by, debris washes up on the beach, clouds pass overhead, but
Tanglewood remains all alone.
Vivienne Goodman's intense and meticulous illustrations stir the
imagination from the start as we see shells, leaves, bones on the
beach, the roots of the tree clinging to its solitary existence,
seals swimming by, and large sweeps of spectacular blue sky
overhead.
From the double page panoramas of the island and the clouds and then
the stormy seas, we turn the page, to find quietness after the
storm, a rainbow has appeared, and into the tree, a seagull has
fallen.
Tanglewood shelters the gull as it rests after the melee, hoping it
will stay, but it cannot. It needs to return to its family a concept
it must explain to the tree. It belongs to the sky and its
companions, but in leaving promises to return.
Tanglewood keeps itself ready for the gull's return, and we see the
breadth of the seasons come and go as Goodman renders a series of
illustrations clustered together like pages in a photograph album,
reinforcing the image of time passing.
The words and images in this incredible book overwhelm the senses as
the loneliness of the tree is portrayed. Readers and listeners alike
will feel joy at the last few pages as the tree's loneliness is
resolved and the gulls do something for the tree. The warmth of
giving, of family, of togetherness is redolent throughout, making
this book a wonderful adjunct to a class's discussions about family.
For older students discussions around technique of both author and
illustrator would do no better than having this book as their guide.
But for anyone wanting a quiet few moments of reflection then this
book will reward its readers over and over again.
And what a pleasure to see Vivienne Goodman's distinctive,
intelligent illustrations again.
Fran Knight