Illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Walker and Company, 2002
ISBN: 0-8027-8801-7
Ages 3-8
One day I hiked near a forest with my four-year old daughter, Casey. She looked up at a tall tree and asked, "Are trees alive?" I answered yes, and explained that trees were living things. She responded , "But how do they breathe; they don't have noses." Her question inspired me to look closely at the features of trees and compare them to humans. This book describes tree characteristics and celebrates some of the magnificent trees that grow on our planet, along with the diversity of life that surrounds them.
AWARDS AND REVIEWS:
2003 IRA(International Reading Association) Teacher's Choice Award
"Responding to her daughter's question about how trees breathe without noses, the author celebrates the common features of trees and humans in this multicultural picture book...The artist uses acrylic paint and gouache to great effect, presenting double-page layouts showing trees and children around the world. Especially appealing are a tropical layout with bananas, cocoa pods, butterfly, bat, boa constrictor, and a smiling face; and an island scene with a sandy beach, seabirds, sprouting coconut, and a young family. End papers show where in the world trees from different pages are found. A feel-good story from the tree-hugging illustration on the front cover to the cozy family picnic at the end."
- Kirkus Reviews
CREATING THE BOOK:
The greatest challenge in writing this book was choosing which trees would be featured from our different continents. I also wanted to describe trees that had special features, or that were unusual in some sense. I read books, talked to botanists and foresters, traveled to different continents via the Internet, and visited a number of botanic gardens and arboretums to study different trees.
I also considered some of my personal favorite trees, such as the redwood. I grew up near San Francisco, not far from Muir Woods. The redwood forest was always a magical place to me, where giant trees dwarf humans and reach forever into the sky. Casey and my family have also visited Muir Woods a number of times, always spellbound by these majestic trees.
Other personal favorites included the birch and aspen trees that are a part of my backyard forest in Alaska. Once I hiked through the Ancient Bristlecone Forest of California and felt so humbled by these twisted, wind-lashed trees that can live to be nearly 5,000 years old. The oldest living tree on Earth, the bristlecone pine became a part of the book.
Other trees captured my curiosity and fascination: the baobab tree of Africa, the banyan tree of India, the ribbon gum eucalyptus tree of Australia, and the cocoa tree of South America. Illustrator Stacey Schuett did a fantastic job painting these special trees along with the people and wildlife that depend on these trees for shelter, food, medicine, and other uses. A glossary section at the back of the book includes detailed information and spot sketches about each featured tree for older readers.
PLANT A TREE AND SEND ME A PICTURE:
Each year more and more trees are cut down. After you read this book, find a good place to plant a tree with your family or class. Give your tree a special name, watch it grow, and see what kind of animals visit it. If you send me a digital picture of your tree, I'll place it in a Tree Photo Album on my web site. I wonder how many different trees will be planted? How many animals will find a new home? Go to my Tree Photo Album for directions on how to send a digital photograph, and in what format.
To learn more about planting trees in your state go to the National Arbor Day Foundation web site. National Arbor Day is on the last Friday in April (April 26 for 2002). Each state has an Arbor Day also, usually on the last Friday in April. You can find information about your state's Arbor Day and your state tree at this National Arbor Day Foundation link. Arbor Day is a wonderful day to celebrate the importance of our beautiful forests around the world. I look forward to receiving pictures of trees that you plant, or perhaps there is a special tree in your life that you'd like to share in the photo album on the favorite tree page.
FUN FACTS FOR KIDS:
Did you know that....
* There is one huge banyan tree in India that shades as much as five acres of land, about the size of four football fields
* It takes 35 to 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup
* The Pacific coast redwood tree grows taller than any other tree in the world, as high as a 37-story building.
* The leaves of the ribbon gum eucalyptus tree in Australia are a favorite food for the koala.
* The double coconut tree on islands near Africa grows the largest seed in the world. Each coconut weighs as much as fifty pounds.
