Everything You Need for a Treehouse, by Carter Higgins

I always wanted a treehouse as a child — a treehouse with a staircase to the sky, where I could watch the world like a robin, read my books, and write my stories. It never happened, though. The swaying palm trees in our backyard weren’t the most conducive for such a hideaway, my parents told me, so I had to resort to reading about them instead. Oh, how I wish I had Everything You Need for a Treehouse back then! It would have been the perfect antidote for my treehouse-less backyard.  Why? Because it is just as magical as I imagine the real thing to be.  Magical and mysterious and, no ifs ands or buts about it, absolutely perfect.

In Everything You Need for a Treehouse, lyrically written by Carter Higgins and exquisitely illustrated by Emily Hughes, readers are given “instructions” on what they need to build a treehouse, beginning with time, a look up, and a hefty imagination. The book breathes life into each and every requirement for the house – from gnarled timber to making sure it’s tall enough to see sun speckles up close, to a swing and rope and “twisted twine of spun sugar and sap.”  Together, the story and illustrations sing.  Together, they spark magic, ignite imagination, and capture the enchantment and wonder a treehouse rouses in children and adults alike.

Everything You Need for a Treehouse is genius. It’s cadence is impeccable, making it a read aloud gem for storytime. The language and vocabulary is challenging yet accessible, so it works just as well for older elementary children as it does for the younger set. The illustrations are unbelievably breathtaking, with details to pore over on every page. And the lyrical prose reads like a dream, one you want to immerse yourself in again and again.  Simply put: I may not have had a treehouse as a child, but, my goodness, I certainly do now.   Everything You Need for a Treehouse is pure picture book perfection. Without a doubt, this is my favorite release of 2018 to date. Don’t walk, run to the bookstore to get this beauty today!

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Want the book? Get it here! Everything You Need for a Treehouse, by Carter Higgins.  *This is an affiliate link.  HEE received an advanced copy of this book, but all opinions expressed herein are entirely our own.