September 1, 2017
PreS-Gr 2-The small seed grows into a sycamore tree in this poetic natural history lesson. "As days turn to weeks, /the seedling has grown: /it's a dragonfly perch!/A ladybird throne!" The spare lines of poetry and simple-colored sketches framed on facing pages follow the tree's growth through the seasons as it spreads beneath the ground and into the air. "It's not just a tree/but a wonderful world, /full of beetles and grubs/and squirrels and birds." Except for that dragonfly and two ladybirds in an early view, the smaller creatures don't appear, but there are assorted birds and a few squirrels up above and rabbits and even two foxes beneath the grown tree. The tree's life cycle is pretty well captured, though two terms will be unfamiliar to picture book listeners/viewers/ "With each passing year/the trunk builds up its rings" offers a teaching moment. The reference to ."..their leaf-laden, /bark-bound arboreal home" is heavier going than the rest of the poem. Imported from England (hence the grubs and ladybirds), this offering concludes with a single page printed with the poem that folds out with a double-page view of the seeds and realistic leaves through the seasons. These are labeled with added facts about the sycamore tree. "A single tree can produce as many as 10,000 seeds a year." VERDICT A pleasant bit of early STEM material, perfect for prompting discussion and explanation.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 15, 2017
Spare, rhyming text and detailed artwork inform readers about the life cycle of a sycamore tree, from seed to maturity--and its role in the ecosystem."It starts with a seed," proclaims the dark ink across from art that shows one helicopter seed in the foreground, dozens gently falling in the background, and a small line of stubble at the bottom, representing the ground. High-quality, cream-colored paper, pencil-framed margins, a well-chosen palette, and excellent use of negative space begin here and continue throughout. The poem continues over two more page turns: "But where does it lead? // To a root, to a shoot, / to a few tiny leaves." Exquisite, naturalistically rendered ink-and-watercolor art encourages readers to pause at each double-page spread. As the tree ages--and subtly shows a hint of sentience--more and more animals assemble in its branches and in the ground surrounding its roots. An abundance of nouns, verbs, and adjectives describing the tree's growth effortlessly increases vocabularies, spread by spread and stanza by stanza. At the end, a foldout uses one page to re-create the entire text as one poem and then offers more information, in prose, about sycamores. While giving a general idea of how one journey from seed to tree influences an entire ecosystem, the text also emphasizes the wonder of growth--and life--itself. The tone is soothing and reverential. No hype here: understated enchantment. (Informational picture book. 3-8)
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January 1, 2018
Spare rhyming text describes a sycamore tree's life, starting with a seed drifting to the ground. Roots, shoots, and leaves grow to become a home to animals; the cycle continues when the tree sends seeds into the breeze. Realistic line and watercolor illustrations show each stage in gorgeous detail. Gatefold back matter includes the poem in full and some very basic facts.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)