Teresa Letizia

We didn’t always put up our Christmas trees as early as the day after Thanksgiving (or before!) Decades ago, our forefathers brought in trees they cut, possibly from the open hills surrounding them, on Christmas Eve. Before electric lights, they may have placed candles on the trees to illuminate the long, dark night.

The celebration of Christmas, and the feature of the tree as a symbol, is not solely a Christian observance; parts of its history we can trace back 4,000 years to the cradle of civilization, its roots in a festival of renewal in ancient Mesopotamia and in Roman revels. The origin of the tradition of bringing a Christmas tree into our homes is rather a ‘history-mystery’ fed by countless legends. But one of the first concrete examples to which we can refer is a 16^th century law in Alsace which determined the size allowed per citizen for this Christmas foliage. (source: 4000 Years of Christmas)

Whatever the origin or tradition from which the tree comes, it’s a beautiful one that seems to symbolize, at least to this observer, the peace and hope that the Christmas holiday has come to espouse. This is largely due to the constancy of the tree itself, a caretaker, who, putting down unshakeable roots, offers fruits, shade, an alluring aroma, and even the air we breathe, standing silent and strong, reliable.

Of course, it is not just the fir or pine tree species who steadfastly offers us these gifts, but all variety of these lovely creations. Let’s celebrate the trees by showcasing a few books new to Smiley Library that pay homage to them, the books themselves cherished offerings of the trees.

Many tree species that have populated the Earth for ages offer us the gift of wisdom, if we look closely enough. We see that California’s redwoods evolved needle-like leaves capable of absorbing fog, which spares the trees from having to transport water 350 or so feet from their roots to their uppermost branches. This fact and others are revealed in In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey Among Ancient Trees, in which author Anthony Fredericks takes the reader along on his travels to document ten of the oldest living species on Earth. He ruminates with educated imagery on those humans who may have lived among them tens of thousands of years ago. Fredericks also shares his interviews with scientists, and provides the specifics of dendrology, the study of woody plants, and its classifications.

Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees) continues this celebration of our aged friends in The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us If We Let Them. He shows us too, like Fredericks, that the old trees adapt to climate change by passing their wisdom through generations, and that this knowledge can ensure our future–if we are able to protect the ancient forests. Forester Wohlleben offers a pointed critique of harmful forestry practices that have wreaked havoc on the ecosystems, the animal and insect populations local to the forests, and urges humans to allow trees to heal themselves.

Other new books include Trees, a definition guide to over 500 species of trees from around the world. Botanist Allen Coombes explains what a tree is, how they are classified, and how to keep a record of the trees you have seen. Included are over 1,000 full-color photographs.

If you read Spanish, or know someone who does, new to our International Language Collection is a Spanish-language text featuring trees, or ‘árboles,’ El Dios del Jardín: Reflexiones Sobre la Cración, la Cultura y el Reino. Author Andrew Peterson shares his own story, “walking through a forest of memories,” by tying in the relevance of trees and nature in the Christian tradition. He builds a strong biblical connection between people and trees in his attempt to inspire the reader to see God working through nature.

You won’t want to miss The Tree and the River, a children’s picture book which, without a word, paints a poignant time-lapse portrait of humankind, and its impact on the natural world. Author/artist Aaron Becker uses as its center the life cycle of a tree on the banks of winding river. The tree grows from its youth into its ancient age, bearing silent witness to the flow of time and change and the dynamic effects, each on the other, between nature and man, between us and our beloved trees.

Walking through the Redlands Bowl amphitheater today I read the inscription engraved over the stage, “Without vision, a people perish.” I pondered the meaning of the biblical verse. Does it mean that failing to examine ourselves, our culture, and the possibilities of our future, will lead to our downfall? Hm, too bad we can’t ‘phone a friend’ from ancient Rome…

Oh, I thought, in a sense, we can do just that—by crossing the street to Smiley Library. We can probably find some ancient Roman writings, or some historical analyses of ancient Rome right inside that building. If we study with these tools, we can learn from our ancient friends. Libraries are tool shops of critical-thinking implements for the self-examination that we need to survive. “Critical thinking” is defined as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” With such discipline, we can teach ourselves and create that needed “vision.”

Of course, our society relies heavily on professional teachers who take on that burden of creating critical thinkers of us. As most are preparing now or have already begun teaching school for the 2023-24 year, we really must honor them, (thank you, teachers!) for it is an unenviable task, and a gift, to be able to pull out of each of us individuals our own unique vision and voice.

To gain some insight into what these heroes go through, we return to the library for a tool of learning. New to Smiley Library is, The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, a new bestseller by investigative journalist and substitute teacher Alexandra Robbins. She provides detailed accounts of the lives of three teachers working in various regions of the country over a period of a school year. Robbins describes everything from the challenges they encounter in their work to how that work encroaches on their personal lives (as well as busting the myth that teachers laze around all summer). She sprinkles in interviews with additional teachers nationwide who share their challenges and wins. Robbins also provides essays on many of the big issues facing the profession today, everything from “school violence to outrageous parent behavior to inadequate support, staffing, and resources.”

You know, whether we are studying for ourselves in the library, or presiding over a classroom of students, we, each of us, is a teacher. Not all may be cut out to be a professional one, but all of us are teachers. It may be as simple as your new co-worker asking you how to complete a task, or a tourist on the street asking if you know how to get to the best sandwich place in town. You think on your feet, put yourself in their place, and try to lay out the path for them.

One group who does this type of teaching, as well as a more formal kind, are parents, and others in the village who help raise our children. We have a book for them too, Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age. Curriculum developer and longtime homeschooling parent Julie Bogart provides methods in this guide for “objectively evaluating data, learning investigative skills by making room for dissenting points of view, examining one’s own prejudices and biases, and understanding how bias plays into opinion making.” And she makes it fun with stories and activities for students of all ages.

Finally, Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed my Life is a feel-good and inspiring little book by ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts who curates a collection of essays and musings from celebrity friends and colleagues that share “how teachers changed them, imparted life lessons, and helped them get to where they are today.” Roberts has made a donation to DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit that encourages people to empower public school teachers by funding their classroom resources.