The Tree in the Ancient Forest [Paperback]

Carol Reed-Jones (Author), Christopher Canyon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Science teachers and ecologically minded parents: this book is a delightful introduction to the habitat in and around old trees. As AAAS Science Books & Films says, "The science is accurate and the book painlessly teaches important ecological lessons." From lowly fungi to majestic owls, the book connects the web of nature. Repetitive, cumulative verse--a poetic technique that children universally enjoy--aptly portrays the amazing ways in which the inhabitants of the forest depend upon one another for survival. Stunning illustrations by the renowned illustrator, Christopher Canyon, manage to be both magical and true to life. It includes a guide to the forest creatures and their interrelationships, and a concise explanation of an ancient forest.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?Structured like "This Is the House that Jack Built," this environmental rhyme aims to show the interdependence of living things in the ancient forests. The pace of the poem gets bogged down a bit when readers encounter verses such as "These are the voles and mice that tunnel,/And eat the tiny, underground truffles/That grow on roots that draw food from the soil,/To nourish the three-hundred-year-old tree/That grows in the ancient forest." The theme, as well, is a bit belabored?pine cones falling and startling a marten are part of the process. Acrylic paintings dominate the pages; they are mostly dark and somber and may seem slightly menacing. An introduction, in small dense print, outlines the meaning of interdependence, and a final section elaborates on the cast of characters. Not a vital purchase.?Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. A 300-year-old fir tree is the main character in a forest drama depicting the cycle of interdependence between plants and animals. The truffles that grow on the roots of the fir tree are food for the mice, who, in turn, are food for the owls living in the hollow of the tree that was created by a woodpecker, and so on. Reed-Jones' cumulative verse technique, which very effectively illustrates the ecological concept, will make this book a lively story-time or lap-share read-aloud as well as a good choice for choral reading. Canyon's superb double-page illustrations can be appreciated both as fine works of art and as detailed studies of forest flora and fauna. To give children an even broader view of forest ecology, use this with Lynne Cherry's Great Kapok Tree (1990), a wonderful tale of the Amazon rain forest. Lauren Peterson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dawn Pubns; 1st edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883220319
• ISBN-13: 978-1883220310
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Environment & Ecology > Fiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in a conifer forest, up close & vivid!, December 13, 2002

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tree in the Ancient Forest (Paperback)

Come into a deep, old northern forest where trees reach for the sky, hundreds of feet high. Where their roots beneath the duff, spread out in vast tendrils seeking food, creating food for voles & mice, who, in turn, are fattened up for the owls hunting for food for their owlets.

Carol Reed-Jones has created a lyrical story of life around an old-growth fir tree, & Christopher Canyon's illustrations are bright, powerful & absorbing.

A keeper, its story is delightful & its images memorable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations, terrible verse, November 22, 2008

By 

Erin (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tree in the Ancient Forest (Paperback)

This book has wonderfully bold, creatively designed illustrations which makes it enjoyable to flip through. But the plodding text makes it impossible to read! Cumulative verse can be very fun and effective, but in this book the author made no attempt to create a lyrical "chorus" that kids would be able to chime in on when being read to, or even that adults would be able to read aloud pleasantly. The point of the interconnectedness of life in an ecosystem doesn't come across well in the story alone... only by reading the letter from the author at the beginning and the pages of notes at the end do you get the full picture of what the book is trying to say. I think the concept of the book was great, but it failed miserably in execution, thanks to the poorly written verse.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story and Beautiful pictures!, March 11, 2007

By 

K. Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tree in the Ancient Forest (Hardcover)

I purchased this as a gift for my daughter's teacher. I love the poem-like story explaining how everything is connected to something else. The pictures are very beautiful with a lot of detail.