In July 2024 Franklin’s Trees was published. I wasn’t able to read a (online) copy until early 2025. Now, it is not a book I went WOW over, or feel that it was worth waiting for, but it is a book that is a nice book when you find it. It never really wowed me, but AJ Schenkman’s book did interest me. I was not sure what to expect, but went about it with an open mind.
We know some about Franklin D. Roosevelt, but maybe not so much about his personality. This picture book digs into how he had a love of nature and trees in particular. He tried to find ways to always have them in his life somehow. Even after he was confined to a wheelchair, he found ways to enjoy the trees. The fact that the man in question happened to be the President of the United States actually was not important. The fact that he found peace within nature is.
Lauren Reese’s illustrations feel earthy, tone in the browns and greens mostly, but bring out all the colors. They are old fashioned, but have a modern overtone to them as well. They are nice. They help tell the story. They do not become their own character, but they do support the text. Again, they did not wow me, but they were enjoyable to read as much as the actual story itself. In the end, pieces come together and work for all ages, though the younger or more active reader might not sit for it as it does not have much in the way of traditional action.