Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

When I read LEAFY LANDMARKS by Michelle Schaub, I was amazed by the layers! Not only all the research and multiple angles, but also an incredible poetry collection! Such a great book for the classroom! Michelle is here to share how the layers of her manuscript grew over time as she persevered to publishing. 

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of LEAFY LANDMARKS from Michelle. 

Congratulations to Kim Larson, winner of UNICYCLE DAD from Sarah Hovorka!!

Leafy Landmarks: The Journey from Seed Idea to Layered Poetry Collection by Michelle Schaub

Leafy Landmarks has had quite a journey from idea to publication!

The seed was planted way back in 2007. When my children were young, we often visited the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. One day, when we were picnicking under a stately oak, I noticed a plaque on the ground. The plaque bore the title “Illinois Millennium Landmark Tree” and explained that the oak we sat beneath had once been a gathering place for the Potawatomi people. I was intrigued. So, I did what most nonfiction children’s writers do when they feel that itch of curiosity: I conducted an internet search! I discovered that in 2000, a not-for-profit organization called America the Beautiful Fund honored one historic tree from each state as a Millennium Landmark Tree. Sounded like a book idea to me!

Originally, I planned to write about all 50 Millennium Landmark Trees. I soon discovered that many of the trees were repeat species and marked similar historic moments. With a picture book audience in mind, I zoomed in on kid-friendly trees. I discovered other trees that weren’t designated as Millennium Landmark Trees but still had amazing stories.

Eventually, I settled on fourteen trees that witnessed important historical moments, like the trees that traveled to the moon as seeds! Or the Emancipation Oak, where former slaves once gathered to hear the first Southern reading of The Emancipation Proclamation.  I wrote the first version of the book as a series of prose vignettes. I organized the vignettes chronologically according to historical moments. The problem with this sapling manuscript, which I discovered after several years of submission and rejection, was that it only had one layer: history.

In the meantime, I had been honing my poetic voice and publishing poems in children’s anthologies. I decided to branch out and revisit Rooted in History as a poetry collection. I trimmed the vignettes into sidebars and wrote a poem for each tree. I purposefully used a different poetry form for each landmark. This added variety and educator appeal. (As a former language arts teacher, I know that educators seek out mentor poems that model different poetry forms.) To emphasize the variety of poems, I added a glossary of poetry forms. Now I had another layer: poetry.

After several additional rounds of rejection, I realized the collection needed more. I knew the importance of having a strong story arc, even with poetry collections. So, instead of organizing the poems chronologically, I reframed the collection as a family road trip. Up until this point, most of the trees I featured were from the eastern part of the United States. So, I extended the road trip to include trees from western states. I added the Petrified Forest in Arizona. I also included the Grove of Titans in California, where tallest trees in the world dwell. The last addition to the book was the Pando Aspen Grove in Utah. Pando is one giant organism with over 40,000 cloned trunks. I also added an introductory poem, “Hit the Road.” Finally, I included a map to indicate the locations of the trees along the family’s road trip route.

My little sapling now had several branches to attract different readers. But I still felt like one important message wasn’t coming through.  Trees are more than steadfast sentinels of history. They are more than landmarks on a map. Trees are living, breathing, essential parts of nature. To convey this idea, I added more information in the sidebars about the amazing science of trees. I also wrote back matter that discusses the environmental importance of caring for trees.

After nearly 18 years of revision, rejection, and more revision, my book finally caught the attention of Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press. When Anne Lambelet agreed to do the illustrations for Leafy Landmarks, I was thrilled. Her dynamic art brings even more depth and layers to this poetic ode to trees!

Don’t forget to leave a comment to enter the GIVEAWAY for your very own copy of LEAFY LANDMARKS.  [U.S. addresses only, please. Winner announced 4/12/24]

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