All From a Walnut

Starred review from January 3, 2022
When a single walnut appears on Emilia’s nightstand one morning, her grandfather tells her “the best of stories” about the walnut he plucked from the tree outside his home “near a lake called Como” and brought to the country where the family now lives. “This nut?” Emilia asks about the walnut she’s holding. “Not this one,” he explains, detailing how he carried his in a pocket, rooted it in a pot, then took it with him until he had a garden in which to plant it. His walnut eventually grew into the huge tree that now guards their backyard, towering over a smaller one—“your mother’s.” Emilia’s walnut will become the original’s next generation, and her grandfather shows her how to nurture it as he begins to slow down. Domestic and travelogue scenes in Sala’s (Be a Tree!) jewelbox colors distinguish the light brown–skinned family’s story in images of Grandpa’s white moustache, his jaunty cap, and the green, growing things he loves. One day, when his chair is empty, watching her own walnut flourish gives Emilia a way to think about his death: “They would always be a part of each other.” Paquette (Mucky Truck) captures the personal-feeling family story with a poignant immediacy that also enshrines respect for the family’s legacy. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions.

February 1, 2022
A young girl cultivates a tree and an understanding of her family history. When Emilia wakes up one morning to find a gift--a single walnut--from Grandpa on her bedside table, her mom smiles knowingly: "It must be walnut season." What follows is the story of Grandpa's nut. Long ago, a young Grandpa plucked a lone walnut from a tree outside his home near Lake Como in Italy and carried the steadily growing sprout across "a great wide ocean" to "a new country on a new continent." As he grew into an adult, the sapling grew into the tree that still stands outside the house Grandpa shares with Emilia and her mom. With newfound appreciation, Emilia beholds the lofty walnut tree in her backyard that grows alongside a smaller, younger one: "This is my tree," Grandpa tells Emilia. "And that one is your mother's." Together, they plant a third walnut tree, for Emilia, and care for it as it slowly grows. The warmhearted watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations are the true highlight of the book, offering lovingly rendered images of Sala's native Italy and a poignant view of Grandpa's aging and eventual passing. A gentle tale about maintaining a sense of continuity and rootedness in the face of life's upheavals, this book is a worthy addition to any personal or library collection. A glowingly illustrated exploration of immigration, family bonds, and human resilience. (Picture book. 5-10)

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February 15, 2022
Preschool-Grade 2 It's walnut season, and Grandpa tells Emilia and her mother "the best of stories." Long ago, far across the ocean, Grandpa left for a new country with his family. All he carried was one small bag and, in his pocket, a walnut from their tree, which he planted in their new home. As Grandpa grew, so did the little walnut tree. Now, it is fully grown, and today it is Emilia's turn to pot her walnut, water it, and watch it grow. Time passes, and one day Grandpa is gone. As Emilia plants her sapling in the yard, she thinks of Grandpa's journey, and how they will always be a part of each other. Full-page spreads done in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil depict a cozy home, the distinctive individual family members, and the close relationship between Emilia and her grandfather. At book's end, the warm greens and browns of the majestic tree confirm the comforting message of how the circle of life illuminates an enduring love between generations.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2022
Emilia's beloved grandfather gives her a walnut and uses it to tell his immigration story. As a child, he emigrated with his family from Italy. They carried very few belongings, but the boy managed to take a walnut from the tree outside his window, which he planted in a pot upon arrival in his new country. He carried the growing tree with him, transplanting it as needed throughout the years, until, with his new wife, planting it in the backyard of their home. Now, many years later, Emilia, with her grandfather's help, plants and cares for her own walnut sapling, only putting it in the ground after her grandfather's death. The relatively simple text includes many layers -- in addition to being an immigration story, it is a family history tale and a story about the passing of a beloved grandparent and the carrying on of that person's legacy. Paquette's emotive writing is strong and clear: "Emilia held her grandfather close for as long as she could. And then she said goodbye." Sala's paintings, in shades of green, gold, and sepia, are equally effective. In them, Emilia and her grandfather are visually connected, often overlapping or framed together by curving lines, bringing intimacy to the tale. Maeve Visser Knoth

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
Emilia's beloved grandfather gives her a walnut and uses it to tell his immigration story. As a child, he emigrated with his family from Italy. They carried very few belongings, but the boy managed to take a walnut from the tree outside his window, which he planted in a pot upon arrival in his new country. He carried the growing tree with him, transplanting it as needed throughout the years, until, with his new wife, planting it in the backyard of their home. Now, many years later, Emilia, with her grandfather's help, plants and cares for her own walnut sapling, only putting it in the ground after her grandfather's death. The relatively simple text includes many layers -- in addition to being an immigration story, it is a family history tale and a story about the passing of a beloved grandparent and the carrying on of that person's legacy. Paquette's emotive writing is strong and clear: "Emilia held her grandfather close for as long as she could. And then she said goodbye." Sala's paintings, in shades of green, gold, and sepia, are equally effective. In them, Emilia and her grandfather are visually connected, often overlapping or framed together by curving lines, bringing intimacy to the tale.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)