Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
We Planted a Tree
Illustrator: Bob Staake
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 8
Random House, 2010 ISBN: 978-0375864322
In a small garden in New York City, a family plants a baby tree, and on a farm somewhere in Africa, another family plants a tree. With a little care and attention, the two trees flourish and grow, and the children who helped to plant the trees enjoy the shade the trees provide. In Africa, the growing tree helps to make the family’s garden more fertile and fruitful by slowing erosion. The food that they grow in that garden makes it possible for the family to “eat better.”
Meanwhile, all over the world, children and their families are enjoying the trees that grow around their businesses, schools, and homes. Some of the trees provide food in the form of fruit, nuts, and maple syrup. All of them clean the air and give us oxygen to breath. Many trees beautify our lives with their leaves, their shapes, and their blossoms.
This delightfully lyrical book celebrates trees by looking at just some of the ways in which these wonderful organisms make our lives better. With bright, cheerful, and wonderfully detailed illustrations throughout, this is an inspirational title that every child should read.