"I don't want to live here," says Cornelia.
A moving truck sits on the lawn of a large, gloomy house. Cornelia, slumped in a chair, looks around a cluttered room. When she vents her dissatisfaction to her stressed parents, they suggest that "if [she's] not going to help," she should "go and have a look around outside."
Along with her scruffy gray dog, Cornelia crosses an isolated island-of-a-hill, down to a sea of dense trees through which signs of fun can be seen: a treehouse. A long rope ladder descends, and Cornelia hangs onto her dog as she climbs up into an increasingly whimsical world. A boy named Frederik, wearing an eyepatch and a huge grin, waves at her from a hammock on the deck of his nautical-themed treehouse. Frederik welcomes Cornelia inside, where he lives with his many inventions. The "best" by far is the "Jungle Machine," which does exactly what its name suggests: a jungle is conjured, complete with exotic birds and animals, vines and a river to sail along--all the way to a dock outside Cornelia's new home. When she asks if she can visit again, Frederik invites her to come back "every day" if she wishes.
Illustrative details abound in this atmospheric picture book of a mere 112 words. Brech perfectly depicts an oversized, overstuffed, gothic-looking mansion and the frustration of its new young inhabitant, who is small in comparison. Colors brighten as Cornelia's world expands, and both the forest and Frederik's tree-based home seem to contain more light and air. At the end of this mysterious, magical day, Cornelia, it seems, really does want to "live here." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI