From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3--This inviting, oversized book lives up to its subtitle. The large watercolor pictures, peopled by children of various ethnic backgrounds, make it a perfect book for classroom sharing. Gibbons discusses the parts of the tree and their functions, types of fruits and seeds, kinds of bark, and uses for trees. She includes a discussion of photosynthesis and gives directions for students to make their own tree identification books. Relevant terms are highlighted in the text and identified in the illustrations. It's a good book to team with Diane Burns's Trees, Leaves, and Bark (NorthWord, 1995; o.p.) and Arthur Dorros's A Tree Is Growing (Scholastic, 1997).
Jean Lowery, Bishop Woods Elementary School, New Haven, CTCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Ages 4-8. In this large-format guide, Gibbons discusses the parts of a tree and their functions, the growth of trees, and the different types of trees. She introduces topics such as photosynthesis and the meaning of terms such as
phloem and
cambium. In the almost wordless section on identification, the shapes of 15 different trees are shown alongside close-ups of their leaves and bark. The book closes with a discussion of how trees are useful to people, animals, and the environment, and directions for making a tree identification book. The bright watercolor illustrations show cheerful children and adults observing, planting, using, and enjoying many kinds of trees. In this simple, informative book, Gibbons provides a basic guide that is sure to please parents and teachers as well as children.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
