The Tree House rises from the ocean as a polar bear, swimming through frigid waters, moves in and makes herself comfortable. More creatures arrive as the sea subsides. Seasons change until fall returns and all migrate—except the polar and brown bears. Winter returns to complete the cycle. In this wordless picture book, Marije Tolman’s pastel backgrounds and watercolor drawings over her father’s etchings of The Tree House manage to remain static yet vary with each season. Imagination, friendship, Noah’s Ark, global ecology, the creation, or the potential of books—whatever the theme— The Tree House is a visual smorgasbord for all ages. 2010 Winner of the Bologna Ragazzi Award–Fiction. lmp

Originally published as De Boomhut in Dutch by Lemniscaat The Netherlands, in 2009.

Pure picture-book magic. A polar bear rides a whale to a tree rising out of the water. At the top of the tree is a tree house. He's joined by a brown bear in a boat. The bears find that the tree house is the perfect place to read. When the water recedes, they are joined by flamingos, panda bears, and other animals that come by land and air. The tree house is a place of wonder, where a brown bear catches snowflakes in a butterfly net.