Children's Books about Trees: The Name of the Tree
When a drought spreads through the land of the short grass, the animals set out across the great plain to find food. Their only hope for survival is a tree with a variety of colorful fruit. The problem is its branches are too high. To reach them, the wise old turtle says, one must know the name of the tree, something only King Lion is privy to. In this Bantu folktale retold by Celia Barker Lottridge, the hero is not the most cunning or the strongest but the one that tries the hardest. Ian Wallaces striking illustrations of desert landscape and luscious fruit help bring this tale to life. A strong read-aloud, handsomely illustrated.
The Man Who Planted Trees
Simply written, but powerful and unforgettable, The Man Who Planted Trees is a parable for modem times. This is the twentieth anniversary edition of French writer/pacifist Giono's (1895-l970) classic tale of a shepherd who planted acorns daily for 30 years. Gradually, this gentle, persistent man's work comes to fruition .
Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids
(Gail Gibbons, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002)Featuring a special section on how children can make a tree identification book of their own, this title is a bright and colorful introduction to trees, leaves, and their inner workings in nature.
Ages 4-8, Kindergarten to Grade 3I can Name 50 Trees: All About Trees
(Bonnie Worth/Aristides Ruiz/Joe Mathieu, Random House Books for Young Readers, 2006)
While stopping to admire some of the world's most amazing trees, the Cat and Co. teach beginning readers how to identify different species from the shape of their crowns, leaves, lobes, seeds, bark, and fruit. Kids will learn about many trees common to North America.
Ages 4-12, Preschool to Grade 6
From Seed to Maple: Following the Life Cycle
(Laura Purdie Salas, Picture Window Books, 2008) Ages 8-12, Grade 3-6
What does a seed need to grow? What color flowers does a sugar maple tree have? Let your mind bloom as you learn about the life cycle of a sugar maple tree.
Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art
(Thomas Locker, Picture Books, 2001)
Thomas Locker''s lyrical text records the changes in the tree''s world just as simply as a child might observe them, and his magnificent paintings crystallize the natural phenomena that embellish the tree on each page.
The Kids Canadian Tree Book
(Pamela Hickman, Heather Collins, Kids Can Press, 1995)
Whether kids live in the city or the country, they know that trees are an important part of the environment. Trees provide food and shelter for local wildlife. But how can children learn about the trees in their neighborhood? And how can they find out about the trees in other parts of Canada?Large pictures, hands-on activities and accessible information help children learn about trees in Canada. Each page is packed with fascinating facts that will stimulate the interest of young nature enthusiasts.
Ages 8-12, grades 3-6
by Joseph Anthony
Summary: Here, in a nutshell, is a tale about the stages of life and the circle of life, captured by the husband-wife team of The Dandelion Seed. In this story, an acorn drops from a great oak and grows. Animals nibble at it, a fire threatens it, but overcoming many challenges it eventually towers high in the forest, observing the changing human scene below. Eventually its energy passes into other life forms-- even the cherry pie enjoyed by the boy in the house below. Breathtaking illustrations accompany this touching tale of nature and growth.
Reading Levels:
Interest Level--K-Gr.4 Difficulty Level--age 9-12 link
by Douglas Florian
Summary: From the book's title and to the final glossatree, the wordplay in this poetry collection provides plenty of fun. 18 poems celebrate the wonder of trees, from the giant sequoia to the bristlecone pine. The big pages are well suited for group sharing, as are the playful puns. The final fascinating notes on each tree spells out the call for conservation that is part of the poetry. -Bklst
Reading Levels:
Interest Level--Gr. 3-6 Difficulty Level--age 4-8 link
The World of the Old Growth Douglas Fir
Summary: A wondrous walk through an old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. As readers enter the Douglas fir- dominated landscape, the unique ecosystem and its varied components are revealed, from the trees them- selves to the myriad creatures that inhabit the lush environment. Children will be drawn into the text by having to search the oversized pictures for the animals and plants being discussed. Bash makes it clear that a forest isn't just a group of trees-it is a well-defined, interdependent system. Reading Ancient Ones is truly the next best thing to being there.-SLJ
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- Gr. 2-6 Difficulty Level--age 9-12 link
The World of the African Baobab
Summary: This handsome book presents a year in the life of the peculiar African baobab tree. Large two-page watercolor illustrations show the habitat of this unusual tree--the dry savannah--and provide close-ups of its resident animals. The tree's enormous trunk and its gnarled, rootlike branches are graphically depicted. The text is written in easily read calligraphy, adding to the attractive format. The cycle of growth, ending with rebirth at the end and the description of the tree's symbiotic relationship with man and beast effectively presents the ecology theme. An attractive, unusual nature lesson. -SLJ
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- Gr. 2-5 Difficulty Level--age 9-12 link
by Diana Appelbaum
Summary:
Colonial New England's white pines were "giants living on the land," taller than a 25 story apartment house. This story uses well- presented facts to describe how, in King George's day, these trees were cut and shipped to abroad for British masts. Scratchboard illustrations create drama, with trees towering past edges of pages or toppling from one corner of a spread to another. -PW Great for tree and plant lesson plans.
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- Gr. 2-4 Difficulty Level--age 9-12 link
by Dana Lyons
Summary: This inspirational rhyming plea of an 800-year-old Douglas Fir looks back over the years of observing the wonders of nature around it, as it senses their end in the sound of an approaching bulldozer. But then a group of children arrives to surround and protect it "so the wind may always carry my song." The scenes of the forest are melodramatically lighted. Mixed media illustrations compose naturalistic pictures of the native animals and birds under a brilliant full moon, against the red skies of a forest fire, in the pale green light around the children circling the tree. The emotions evoked can stimulate environmental activism. -Marantz
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- K-Gr.3 Difficulty Level-- age 4-8 link
by Bruce Hiscock
Summary: Mixing fact with fiction in picture book format, Hiscock tells the story of a sugar maple tree from a winged seed sprouting during the American Revolution to a present day picnic. Not only are historical events mentioned, but also biological systems (photosynthesis and the running of sap) are explained. Even the complex process of how trees grow is clearly stated. Trransitions in time are quick, but Hiscock moves smoothly from one event to the next, piquing interest while inspiring further discussion. Realistic ink-and- watercolor drawings show the tree as it grows and the people and activities that surround it over the years. -SLJ
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- Gr. 1-4 Difficulty Level-- age 4-8 link
Summary: A portrayal of trees and forests with exquisite artistry by an international troupe of stellar nature photographers. The Life and Love of Trees is a gorgeous showcase dedicated to celebrating the planet's longest living entities and covering a remarkable amount of information about the lives of trees and their phenomenal contribution to human life. The book's dramatic photographs dazzle with the astonishing ingenuity, diversity, and beauty, both majestic and intimate, of trees. -Booklist
Reading Levels:
Interest Level-- Gr. 8+ Difficulty Level--(adult)Fiction/Poetry Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems
Kristine O’Connell George/Kate Kiesler, Sandpiper, 2007
This tree across the stream is a trickier bridge than it might seem... The author of The Great From Race and Other Poems has created a collection of short poems that celebrate trees and the amazing variety of ways they touch our lives. Deceptively moreThis tree across the stream is a trickier bridge than it might seem... The author of The Great From Race and Other Poems has created a collection of short poems that celebrate trees and the amazing variety of ways they touch our lives. Deceptively simple verses reveal what trees think about and what they say to one another, as well as how they look and all the things they do for us. Humor and an unerring ear for the sounds of language make these poems an irresistible read-aloud; the luminous oil paintings evoke a country setting and the children who enjoy it through the year.
Kindergarten – grade 3, Ages 4-9
LinkA Tree is Nice
Janet Udry, Tegen Other, Reprint, 1987)
"Trees are very nice," says Janice May Udry in her first book for children. She goes on to explain that even one tree is nice, if it is the only one you happen to have. Some of the reasons why trees are so good to have around are funny. Some "Trees are very nice," says Janice May Udry in her first book for children. She goes on to explain that even one tree is nice, if it is the only one you happen to have. Some of the reasons why trees are so good to have around are funny. Some are indisputable facts. But in all of them there is a sense of poetic simplicity and beauty which will be sure to entrance any young child. Whether he knows on tree or many, he will relish the descriptions of the delights to be had in, with, or under a tree. Marc Simont's joyous pictures, half of them infull color, accentuate the child-like charm of the words. And each painting of a tree or trees shows just how very nice they can be.
Ages 4-8, Kindergarten- Grade 3
This site is made possible by the generous support of: Thank you to acclaimed children's author Philippa Dowding for compiling the list of books
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