Carter Higgins - Everything You Need For a Treehouse

For Edward. - C. H. For Meredith far away, sharing an apple in a low tree - E. H. Text copyright 2018 by Carter Higgins.
Illustrations copyright 2018 by Emily Hughes.
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN 978-1-4521-4255-5 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4521-5326-1 (epub2)
ISBN 978-1-4521-5357-5 (epub3)
ISBN 978-1-4521-5356-8 (kindle)
ISBN 978-1-4521-5358-2 (epib) Design by Ryan Hayes.
Typeset in EsquireText and Boatbuilder.
The illustrations in this book were rendered by hand in graphite and with Photoshop. Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107 Chronicle Bookswe see things differently. Become part of our community at www.chroniclekids.com. Your tree may need to
stand mighty and alone
with balconies of branches
so you can fling your arms wide
and scout skunks in their burrows
and moles in the meadow
even if you need binoculars
and ten tippy toes. Or maybe its one soldier
in an army of trees
and from far away
youd have to squint to see
which one is yours
Is that my turret
or a tangled crown?
a grove of generals
your refuge in the flora. Whether solo or squished
make sure your tree is tall youll want to see sun speckles up close. Start with blueprints to sketch,
a hammer to hit,
some nails
and a saw
(dont forget a hard hat for your head). Start with blueprints to sketch,
a hammer to hit,
some nails
and a saw
(dont forget a hard hat for your head).

Then brace once and bolt twice
raise a slat on some stilts, run a ladder up high. With the scraps you can build
a box for the begonias
and a picket for the zinnias. Here, tiny slugs, this feast is for you.
You can even have this marigold
cause seeds are easy to sow. Of course youll need a swing
or maybe a rope,
some twisted twine
of spun sugar and sap,
a way to climb and sprawl out on a limb
and slide back down again. You should build yourself a bookshelf
cause you might want to
sail sun-kissed seas
or dig a hole
through dirt and roots and rocks
to the other side. Red licorice and drippy peaches are my favorites
but if you like pistachios, those are okay, too
the pirates like those
so we can spit the shells from our perch. Make sure your sleeping bag doesnt have holes,
your socks either (the fuzziest kind).
It gets chilly so high
and you wont want to shiver
under the pinpricked canopy. But the stars will fall past your reach
and youll need a flashlight
so you can make your own sky
with spotlights and shadows and youll think it was such a good idea
this pile of pillows. Should the shadows ever growl
it would be nice
if your sleeping bag had room
You scoot that way and Ill scoot this way
and did you hear that bullfrog chorus?
The best kinds of friends share squeezed hands
and they come with some guts and a smile. You can spill secrets and
whispers in a treehouse
cause the wind keeps them
snug with a rustle
which is a hush you can feel
in your bones
thats how you know its safe. But if your whisper is broken
you can warble and yell the thrashers will scatter and the barn owls echo
and the crickets will welcome the company. The begonias the whispers the sap and the speckles. Everything you need for a treehouse
starts with time and looking up.