Winter Trees [Paperback]

Carole Gerber (Author), Leslie Evans (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Young readers join a boy and his dog as they use their senses of sight and touch to identify seven common trees in the snow-covered forest. Additional information about trees and their life cycles is included. The creators of Leaf Jumpers once again explore the beauty of nature through poetry and art.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—This book looks at the subtle charms of trees in winter. On a walk through a forest, a boy observes the branches, shapes, and various barks. He and his dog make snow angels, watch animals quietly eating, and tap a maple tree for syrup. The style of this book, both in text and pictures, is as quiet as its subject. In a simple poetic form, seven trees are described: sugar maple, American beech, paper birch, yellow poplar, bur oak, Eastern hemlock, and white spruce. Readers get a sense of what they look like from a distance ("the egg shape of the maple tree/the taller oval of the beech…" and up close ("the peeling bark of paper birch/feeds hungry hares that eat their fill"). Evans's intriguing illustrations mix prints, watercolor, and collage, and are tweaked with digital enhancement. The lines are thick but supple, and the boy's red jacket and golden dog enliven the soft colors of the winter landscape. This title won't jump off the shelves, but it will be appreciated by nature lovers and primary classrooms studying trees and seasonal scenery.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Alone in the snowy woods with his dog, a boy discovers the wonder of winter trees, one at a time, in a big, quiet space. On every double-page spread, four lines of simple verse and bright linoleum block prints decorated with watercolor and collage capture the stark outlines and the details of what he sees, hears, and touches (“Crunch! Our footsteps make the only sound”). The botanical facts are part of the wonder (“Trees that once had leaves are bare”); he looks closely at six different trees, appreciating the bur oak’s massive, intertwining limbs; a bird nesting in the trunk of the paper birch; the sharp needles (“Ouch!”) of the white spruce; and more. The blend of play, science, poetry, and art is beautiful; and notes at the back provide more facts about each tree. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” will make a lovely read-aloud connection. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; New edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580891691
• ISBN-13: 978-1580891691
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 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: #378,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carole Gerber is a poet and children's author living in Powell, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. She has written 16 picture books, two chapter books, and more than 100 elementary reading and science books for a variety of publishers. Most of her picture books are told in verse. A former teacher and journalist, she holds a B.S. in English Education and an M.A. in journalism from Ohio State.

Winter Trees (Charlesbridge, 2008) received a John Burroughs Nature Writing Award and was selected in 2009 as an Outstanding Trade Book by the CBC and NSTA. Leaf Jumpers (Charlesbridge, 2006) was commended by the NSTA and was selected for Just Read! the Florida Summer Reading List in 2009. Other awards include the Great Lakes Booksellers Pick of the List for Arctic Dreams (Charlesbridge) and a Parent Council Award of Excellence for Hush! A Gaelic Lullaby.

Carole Gerber enjoys visiting schools through the Greater Columbus Arts Council Artists-in-Schools program. To learn more about her books - she has several new ones in the works - please visit her web site: www.carolegerber.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winter Trees, August 23, 2008

By 

Mary Sawyer "Mary" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter Trees (Hardcover)

A young boy uses sight and touch to identify seven types of trees as he and his dog take a winter walk in the woods. Carole Gerber's simple, eloquent verse and Leslie Evans' clean, stylist illustrations pull readers into the wintry setting. "Crunch! We walk through fresh new snow/that sparkles on the frozen ground./It's peaceful here among the trees - /our footsteps make the only sound."

Later verses and pictures describe the general appearance of the bare trees "Trees that once had leaves are bare./They're dressed instead in lacy white", followed by a description and illustration of the shapes of each type of tree and the appearance of its bark and buds. "Tall yellow poplar's furrowed bark/ surrounds a trunk that's straight and neat./Its reddish twigs hold puffy buds - /for deer, a tasty winter tree." The illustration shows the boy and dog peeking around the trunk of one poplar as a deer nibbles on the buds of another.

Before leaving the woods, the boy builds a snowman and decorates it with "small twigs and pinecones for his face/and leaves from beech trees for his hair."

This is a wonderful read-aloud for small children as well as for older, independent readers and will also be useful in elementary science classes. The story is followed by a simple, clear explanation of how to identify trees in winter by their shape, bark, and buds, along with small labeled illustrations of each tree the boy identifies on his walk.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Winter Trees, August 6, 2008

By 

Kirsten G. Cutler (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winter Trees (Hardcover)

Gerber, Carole. Winter Trees. Illustrated by Leslie Evans. Charlesbridge. 2008.

Simple rhymes describe how individual tree branches look in a winter landscape: "the egg shape of the maple tree; the taller oval of the beech... The V formation of the birch; the yellow poplar, wide and high; the spreading structure of the oak, its branches reaching toward the sky." The illustrations are created from linoleum block print, watercolor, and collage that is then digitally enhanced. "Trees that once had leaves are bare. They're dressed instead in lacy white. Snow dusts their trunks and coats their limbs with flakes that outline them with light." One quibble is that the sugar maple's bark is described as gray yet the color of the bark in the illustration appears to be brown. This simple appreciation of nature is suitable for preschoolers, and could be presented effectively in a story time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Winter Trees, October 5, 2010

By 

Kathleen Gerber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Winter Trees (Paperback)

Carole Gerber has a delightful way of writing to make the book fun but also teach. I especially like her particular style for children. I have enjoyed purchasing her books as gifts over the years. I highly recommend any of her books.