The Better Tree Fort

PreS-Gr 1—When Russell and his father move into a new house with a giant maple tree, a tree fort is on the top of Russell's to-do list, despite protestations from his father who knows nothing about building projects. Russell crafts a truly excellent list of must-haves, including a balcony, slide, and skylight. After several trips to the lumber store, a tree fort emerges. Though it looks nothing like the one the boy envisioned, he thinks it is perfect, and Russell and Dad bond over a sleepover. Then, three houses down, a boy Russell's size oversees construction of a bigger more beautiful fort with turrets and working lights, "so large, it blocked the sun." Russell is not perturbed by the more impressive tree fort and muses to his new friend that there is probably an even better fort somewhere else. This tale of father-son bonding is a fun Father's Day read, cute with a capital "c," but also monotonous and uneventful. The watercolor illustrations are nice but add little to the text because they do not demonstrate the most exciting parts of the story or take advantage of moments that might have been humorous. It is heartwarming when Russell declares Dad's tree fort perfect even though it doesn't meet his original requirements, but this newfound sagacity and respect for his dad is not substantiated by the story's content. Leng's watercolors are beautifully delicate but so muted that their child-appeal is low and sometimes somber, though the ink sketches have whimsy and delightful details.