This Very Tree: A Talk with Sean Rubin About the Survivor Tree in NYC

New York City allures illustrators. Since the publishing industry settled there, various artists over the decades have made their mark by depicting the city on the page of children’s books. From Maurice Sendak to Ludwig Bemelmans, from Faith Ringgold to Hilary Knight, it has served as muse. In many ways, it’s like a character you can interpret in a million different ways.

When I lived in NYC I became very fond of artists that could depict the city correctly. Some don’t care. They’ll slap toge...