Story Behind The Book
Since the age of seven, Andrea Alban Gosline has befriended a forest of favorite trees. There was the flowering plum in the front yard that burst in April with tart little stone fruit she ate until her stomach groaned, a Ponderosa pine she watched grow from sapling to towering tree, and a Pom-Pom that showered her with a confetti of petals as she daydreamed on the lawn. Her father, annoyed by the impossible-to-rake mess, would shoo her inside so he could vacuum the grass with a Hoover upright! Andrea vowed to write a thank you poem to her tree friends and grew up to become an inspirational parenting and children’s book author who moonlights as an environmentalist. A San Francisco mother, she believes that many of our children suffer from "nature deficit" and her mission is to ensure that no child is left inside!
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Reviews
I just wanted to tell you how much my son and I love the book The Happiness Tree. We first found it at our library, then had to buy it. We read it every night before bed and he has just about every tree memorized. The story is so sweet and the illustrations are fantastic. I can’t wait to order additional books for you and to order prints once you get them online. I just wanted to let you know as a mom, I really love this book and so does my boy. Many blessings! — Misty Hendon<br /><br />I wish I could have videoed Annalise's reaction when we were reading <br />The Happiness Tree. She loved all the little hidden details (like the <br />earthworms, the shape of the hearts on the tree of love) and with wide <br />eyes she kept saying: "I LOOOOVE this book!" It was so cute when I <br />read her the promise, and she enthusiastically and resolutely said, "I <br />promise!" We had to go back through it a couple of times - she was <br />captivated. It was lovely to see your magic at work and I hope for all <br />the best for the book's success. — Kristin Waters<br /><br />... "gorgeous jewel-toned illustrations featuring anthropomorphized trees are sure to be pored over by young readers, who will be taken in by their fairy-forest quality." (Kirkus Reviews) Included are tree poems, state tree index and tree bios.<br /><br />And blogger, Amanda Lorenzo (of the Gifted and Talented Child blog) writes, ' ... this is a book that sings! The rhyming text is unique and musical and the illos are vibrant and melodious. This is not your average picture book. In it trees are associated with individual great virtues. I can totally relate to the Magnolia tree as the embodiment of generosity, or the 100 foot tall White Pine as the image of courage. The Dogwood beautifully holds sway as the emissary of Peace. In all, ten trees join together to make this one absolutely stunning and endearing book for young and gifted children. At the end you will find a 2 page spread of detailed information on each tree, a page naming the official state trees of each of the fifty United States and information about Arbor Day. It’s my understanding that each of us should plant at least 10 trees to replace the oxygen we will breath in one lifetime. With this book we can also plant some quality ideas and images in the minds of the children we love. Oh yes, and this book is printed on 50% post consumer waste content paper, so it is kinder to the very trees we love.'<br /><br />... beautiful ... As the rhyming text extols the virtues of trees and describes the planting and growth of a group of seeds, the jewel-toned illustrations of the natural world immediately draw the eye. ... inspirational ... may find a home in Arbor Day celebrations and in Sunday school classrooms.<br />–School Library Journal, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD<br /><br /> Andrea, You and Lisa have done it again. The Happiness Tree is a work of art with such beautiful colors and such beautifully written verse. I love the theme of trees (my son got interested in the environment when planting a tree on Arbor Day when he was 8 . He now works for the DEP in NJ.)and of course, you always include all the wonderful attributes we want children to learn and aspire to when they grow up. I wish you much luck with the new book and continued success. — Dorothy Rinaldi