The Busy Tree

by Jennifer Ward, Lisa Falkenstern (Illustrator)

Overview

Spectacular illustrations rendered in oil paint, and a rhyming text that describes a tree’s activities from its roots to its branches, introduce young readers to the amazing activities that go on in a tree. Acorns nibbled by chipmunks, ants scurrying across a trunk, a spider spinning a web, leaves “breathing out air for all to breathe in”—everything adds up to a “busy tree” for all to “come and see.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761455509
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/05/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	80,771
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Ward is the author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including There Was an Old Monkey Who Swallowed a Frog, which was an IRA-CBC Children’s Choice and went on to become a bestselling Kindle book. Her recent titles include Mama Built a Little Nest, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, which received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; What Will Hatch?, illustrated by Susie Ghahremani; and There Was an Old Martian Who Swallowed the Moon, illustrated by Steve Gray. She lives in Illinois. Learn more at www.jenniferwardbooks.com.

Lisa Falkenstern has been a professional illustrator for more than twenty five years. She graduated from Parsons School of Design and has studied at the New York Academy, School of Visual Arts, Art Students League, National Academy of Art and Cooper Union. She has illustrated the books Mermaids, The Busy Tree, My Very Own Pirate Tale, and her new book which she has written and illustrated, A Dragon Moves In.

Editorial Reviews

These are my roots, winding and long; / they anchor and feed me and help me grow strong." The wonder of ecology is in the close-up details as an oak tree tells its story about growing tall and making connections with all kinds of creatures in nature, including spiders, ants, owls, and other plants. Branches leafy and high are a "sidewalk" for squirrels that soar. One branch cradles a nest. With the simple first-person narrative, the poetry is as much fun as the science ("Here is my track where busy ants scurry / searching for food as they march in a hurry"), and big, clear, handsome oil paintings add to the title's read-aloud appeal. The tree's important conservation role ("breathing out air for all to breathe in") will open up more pathways for discussion and sharing across the curriculum.

Booklist

PreS-Gr 2—In rhyming couplets, an old oak introduces children to the wildlife that lives and feeds in and around it ("I'm a tree, a busy tree.../come and see"). In its branches and on its trunk are ants, a spider on a web, a downy woodpecker, an owl, squirrels, baby robins in a nest, a moth's cocoon—even children on a swing—while chipmunks and a tiny mole live and eat beneath. The large oak describes its roots ("winding and long;/they anchor and feed me and help me grow strong"), leaves ("...breathing out air for all to breathe in"), and boughs ("…that creak, bend, and sway/shading the children below as they play"). Handsome realistic oil paintings set on white pages show details of the tree and its denizens in daytime, at sunset, and at night, in fall and in summer. Observant eyes will notice grubs burrowed underground, new leaf buds, and a tiny ladybug nestled on a leaf. The cycle of new life and growth is demonstrated as the youngsters collect and plant an acorn that grows into another large tree "as seasons pass by." Children will enjoy this brief glimpse at a familiar species that reinforces much that they have already observed.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

Gentle rhyming couplets describe the different parts of an oak tree and the roles they play in feeding and sheltering the animals of the forest. From the roots and bark to the leaves and acorns, Ward pays tribute to each in simple-seeming phrases that sneakily introduce good vocabulary, such as boughs, hatchlings, scurry and prowl. "These are my branches, leafy and high, / a sidewalk for squirrels that soar through the sky." The tale comes full circle as the boy and girl who take shelter under that tree find some acorns and plant another generation of busy trees. In her debut picture book, Falkenstern's oil paintings are a wonder. The animals are rendered with such realism and depth as to seem ready to come right off the pages, each claw, feather and whisker perfectly placed. The broken eggshells give the impression of delicacy, while the dew on the leaves looks as if a touch will leave a finger wet. An amazing exploration of an oak-tree habitat for the youngest readers. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews