Emma Carlisle is a famous award-winning landscape artist known for her practice around Devon and Cornwall. As you would imagine from such a prestigious artist this is a glorious book with large illustrations – often deceptively simple in its approach, with very few words per spread. Having said that, this is a book that uses the short, written sections to create a very thoughtful look at nature, particularly trees, and how it can help create empathy, deep nature reflection and self-reflection. Simple questions encourage the reconnection with nature in the widest sense. The artwork is in the many tones watercolour allows - creating a beauty of a book.
I was particularly pleased to see the last two spreads that explain simply how trees communicate with other trees in the area, and also the final spread that encourages the reader to become more like a tree – by taking your time, and self-care amongst a whole list of other vital activities. I can see this being a favourite – either just to enjoy the glorious pictures or to use the book as the basis for discussions on how readers could be more like a tree – a wonderful mildly philosophical exercise!
The hardback book feels as if it will be quite a large format (300x255) though, as I have reviewed this from a PDF copy, that is not as easy to assess.
This wonderful picture book explores themes of empathy, mindfulness and personal growth through the eyes of a child.
Beautifully written and illustrated by the aw ard-winning artist Emma Carlisle, What Do You See When You Look At a Tree? urges readers to reconnect with nature by asking questions that encourage critical thinking and reflection on their own development, as well as helping to establish a deeper appreciation for the environment and their place within it.
Stunning watercolour and hand-finished artw ork draws parallels to the bestselling The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, and evokes the classic nostalgia of E. H. Shephard's much-loved Winnie-the-Pooh.
Emma Carlisle loved to draw from a young age, encouraged by her parents with endless trips to the library and a good supply of pencils and poster paint. She went on to study Illustration at the University of Plymouth, and in 2014 she graduated from the Cambridge MA in Children's Book Illustration with full Distinctions. She was Highly Commended by The Macmillan Prize for Children's Book Illustration in 2013. Lion Practice is her first picture book. Emma lives in Malvern.
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