[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Scholastic Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, eBook
Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]
Audrey is a little girl of about 5 or 6, but she thinks she’s getting too big for the house where she lives with her dad – an odd fear, but that’s 5-year-olds for you. So she asks her father to build her a tree house where she can live. The book details all the things Audrey’s dad builds into the house for her, including a bathtub, a stove, a blue bed, and a huge winding staircase. (Audrey has a lot of specifications for this house, but at least she says “thank you” to her father after he builds it!) But when she feels lonely in her own house, Dad assures her that there’s plenty of room in the regular house for her, always.
Bentley’s watercolor illustrations are gorgeous and full of detail; there’s an entire story just in the background details about Audrey’s relationship with her dad, and what type of person the dad is (he has art supplies in the house, and a chicken coop out back). It’s a beautiful book to look at, and one you could read over and over again just for the art.
Although Audrey does come across as a little spoiled with her overelaborate tree house, the real story is that of her and her father. He allows her the independence she wants, but always welcomes her back into their home. It’s a story of a kid showing typical kid behavior – testing boundaries and exploring adult roles – but with a heartwarming ending.
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