Review of “A Birch Tree's Year” by Tuula Pere

Score: 92+/100 (9.2+ out of 10)

A Birch Tree's Year by Tuula Pere is a delightful children's book that follows the life of a birch tree through the changing seasons. Each month is vividly portrayed with gentle prose and charming illustrations by Outi Rautkallio, capturing the tree's experiences and its interactions with a nearby family.

First of all, we wanted to give credit where credit is due to illustrator Outi Rautkallio. No, the illustrations didn't blow us away, but they definitely accomplished what they were intended to. Furthermore, it's actually nice to see another great artist work with Tuula Pere. Outi Rautkallio's illustrations actually complement the earthy mood and tone of the book. They have an almost medieval look and feel to them.

Anyway, this book follows the titular Birch Tree as he lives out an eventful yet—somewhat ironically—monotonous year in the yard of a house. On one hand, the Birch Tree and the family experience a lot of things together. On the other hand, many of these experiences are rather tame, calm, and absent of conflict or tension. And perhaps that's the beauty of this book and other books by Pere, like The Best Summer Guest. It's not always about big, huge conflicts and big, huge, climactic moments full of shock and awe (or bells and whistles). Well, you do get some of that in the Felix the Fox series (such as the collapse of the tower). However, most of Pere's books are surprisingly calm and spur-of-the-moment. They flourish in their mundaneness, focusing instead on individual experiences and emotions.

The Only Blue Crow and Mother's Bread Dough are great examples of Pere doing this. In fact, in Mother's Bread Dough, there's clearly a big conflict (war) going on in the background, but the book was more focused on the human element and the individual characters.

Similarly, A Birch Tree's Year is much more focused on the beautiful and heartwarming experiences that the Birch Tree and family have (especially the kids). The Birch Tree is personified as someone who has feeling, emotions, thoughts, and memories just like a human being, and he's constantly building on those memories as he experiences one thing after another.

In January, the birch tree stands bare and cold, shivering under a heavy hood of snow. The warmth of a lantern placed by the children provides a small comfort in the dark winter nights. February sees the children building a snow castle under the birch tree, whose frosty branches watch over their playful creations.

This compassionate act by the children lays the foundation for a friendship that lasts throughout the book, a relationship that becomes mutual and reciprocal.

With March comes the thaw of spring, and the birch tree begins to stretch and feel alive again. The returning migratory birds add their songs to the yard, much to the tree's delight. In April, the birch's budding leaves signal new life, and it tries to cheer up the youngest child, who is confined indoors due to allergies.

What we took away from this section is that it points out how how our relationships with people can ebb and flow, and it's not always due to our own faults. Sometimes, it's just the harsh reality of the situation you and the other person are in. In this case, allergies keep the youngest child away. This is comparable in real-life to when a parent is separated from their children (and vice-versa) due to work or school.

The month of May brings a burst of activity as the birch's leaves grow stronger and birds clean out their bird boxes in preparation for new nests. The tree even offers advice to the birds on finding soft materials for their nests. In June, the birch tree enjoys the summer warmth and the lively atmosphere of a child’s birthday party, its branches adorned with decorations.

July finds the birch tree helping the family dry their laundry, ensuring the clotheslines stay in place and shooing away birds. As summer draws to a close in August, the children swing on a wooden swing attached to the tree's branch, sharing their excitement about the upcoming school year.

This is when we really started thinking about the all-time great children's book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Similarly, the tree offers itself in a self-sacrificing way to the people, being used to dry laundry and also for a swing.

The arrival of autumn in September brings rain and chilly evenings, but the birch tree finds joy in watching the children dance in the rain after their sauna sessions. October sees the birch's leaves turning yellow and falling, creating a colorful carpet that the children love to play in while the family prepares the yard for winter.

This was probably the strangest panel in the entire book because of the light nudity of the boys (don't worry, nothing is explicitly shown as the genitalia is simply flattened). This imagery may actually hearken back to renaissance paintings such as those featuring nude cherubs. There's a sort of birthing imagery here, almost of a maternal or paternal variety as the tree tries to shelter the children using its shade.

November is a lonely time for the birch tree, now bare and enduring the freezing weather, feeling forgotten by the busy children. However, December brings a festive spirit as the tree is adorned with Christmas lights and a sheaf of grains to attract birds, making it feel important and happy again.

Again, this highlights the waves of relationships. Sometimes, the people we love can't always be with us, and we need to find the courage and strength in ourselves to muscle through and carry on. This may be analogous to a sort of empty nest syndrome.

Throughout the year, the birch tree stands as a steadfast presence, witnessing the ebb and flow of the seasons and the lives of the family members. A Birch Tree's Year beautifully captures the interconnectedness of nature and human life, offering a warm and charming portrayal of the simple yet profound changes that each season brings.

In all honesty, it's one of those mixed bags in Pere's rich children's book collection. On one hand, it brilliantly showcases relationships, the passage of time, and individual experiences personified by the tree. On the other hand, there's a slight cognitive dissonance between what we're supposed to feel for the children (in particular) and how we actually feel. We didn't particularly like the children in this book. Yes, they were kind to the tree in the beginning, but they were also swift to turn their backs on and forget about him, actually similar to what happened in The Giving Tree. It also doesn't help that they don't have names or identities beside just “youngest child” and so forth. It makes it a bit harder to relate to them.

At least Birch Tree is a likable and lovable character. He is someone you definitely get behind and want to see thrive and be happy. In fact, when he's happy, we're happy. When he's down on his luck freezing in the cold, losing his leaves, and feeling alone, we feel for him. That sympathy is very powerful and important in crafting an effective character.

This book also got us thinking about our co-dependent, reciprocal relationship with nature. If we want an Earth to continue to live on, we need to treat it right and take care of the environment.

Check it out on Amazon!