The Ever-Living Tree: The Life and Times of a Coast Redwood [Paperback]

Linda Vieira (Author), Christopher Canyon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

This book plots the march of history as the life of an ever-living sequoia unfolds in a Pacific northwest forest.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an effort to convey the phenomenal 2000-year life span of a coastal sequoia, Vieira dates the stages of a tree's growth by making references to historic events. However, her ungainly presentation swamps the reader with blandly related, far-flung facts linked only by their synchronicity. The tree, for example, sprouts near the period of Alexander the Great (who "perfected catapults in battle" and "spread the ideals of Greek civilization"); when China builds its Great Wall, the sequoia's deeply ridged bark looks "like an apartment house for spiders." Lightning strikes and fells the tree (around the time "gold was discovered in the western territories of the New World"), but its life force continues to nourish new trees. While the text mentions the native Ohlone tribe, the essentially Eurocentric approach begs for balance. First-time illustrator Canyon's carefully organized and fittingly framed paintings help somewhat to focus the reader's attention, but on the whole the work is dull. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-One redwood's growth, from its beginning in 325 B.C.E. to its fall 2,100 years later, is correlated with major world events. These historical happenings are pictured on the margins of paintings that show all the grandeur of the tree and the inviting mystery of the forest in which it grows. A lengthening time line on the upper left corner pinpoints the year. The beginning of construction of the Great Wall of China in 214 B.C.E., the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and the flourishing of African trade in 700 C.E. are among the dates noted. Reminiscent in the best sense of Virginia Lee Burton's Life Story (Houghton, 1989), this title also conveys an awesome feeling of time passing on a large scale.
Sharon Levin, Waters Memorial Library, Underhill, VT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440837421
• ISBN-13: 978-0802774774
• ASIN: 0802774776
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touched by the history tie-in, September 15, 2007

By 

Lora N. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ever-Living Tree: The Life and Times of a Coast Redwood (Paperback)

There's something about the way the story of this tree is tied in with world history that touches me. The pictures are highly appealing. Each two-page spread is almost it's own little story as it tells what is happening to the tree in that time period. So very young children (perhaps 4-6 year olds) can enjoy each little story individually, older children and even adults can connect these stories to the sweep of history.

An unobtrusive but helpful timeline runs across the top of the two-page spreads and builds as the years go by. There is a dinosaur and a reference to 50 million years ago on the first page which young earth creationists should be aware of. The dino is not really part of this tree's story but a mention. The timeline that builds throughout the book starts with 325 BC. and ends in 1969 (yes, one tree's life!).

This book (typically a read in one sitting) would supplement world history, a study of forests, and/or certainly a trip to the redwoods in California! But most of all, it's just a delightful pleasure to read.