Tag: trees

The Lumberjack’s Beard (Duncan Beedie)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is The Lumberjack’s Beard by Duncan Beedie, a funny yet sweet story of friendship and conservation.

Jim Hickory the lumberjack lives a simple life, following a comfortable routine. Each morning he wakes, limbers up (limbering is important for lumbering, you see), then eats a tall stack of delicious pancakes. Then he heads out into the forest and chop-choppety-chops down all the trees he can. After a full day of chopping, he is surprised to find a bird at his door, angry that Jim had chopped down a tree that held his brand-new nest. A decent sort, Jim offers to let the bird nest in his fine, full beard – and that’s where the trouble starts. More animals are showing up at Jim’s door in need of a place to stay, and soon his beard is full of guests and his routine is in shambles. He evicts his tenants, shaving his beard and leaving the hair on the porch for them to continue living in. Yet now, looking at his clean-shaven face and the barren landscape around him, he begins to wonder how he can help them even more…

We really liked this one! It’s a fun, silly story without an ounce of meanness: the animals are righteous in their dismay, and Jim is generous and kind, doing what he can to help them. By the end, he and the animals have formed a close friendship that has allowed him to adjust his perspective, and he sees the importance of replacing the trees that he’s cut down. It’s a fresh way of presenting conflict, not as one party versus another, but instead two parties adjusting to accommodate the other. The illustrations are adorable, and Jim and his furry friends are sure to delight, especially for kids with bearded men in their lives. The length is great, and JJ loved it. This one will make you smile, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

Up In The Leaves: The True Story Of The Central Park Treehouses (Shira Boss)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Up In The Leaves: The True Story Of The Central Park Treehouses, written by Shira Boss and illustrated by Jamey Christoph, a sweet story of a boy’s creativity and love of trees shaping his destiny.

Bob had never been a huge fan of the city life: the noise, the traffic, the crowds. So after school, he would head straight to Central Park and climb up into the trees, where the air was clearer and quieter, and he could be by himself in the middle of a bustling city. At 13, Bob salvaged some scrap supplies and built a small treehouse where he could go to be alone, but the park officials found it and tore it down. As the years went by, Bob continued to build treehouses, each more elaborate than the last, often inviting up friends or spending nights gazing at the stars. Finally, as a young man, he was caught in the red-handed in his latest structure, and told to come down and face the consequences. But as Bob descended his treetop palace, he found not a punishment, but a welcome surprise waiting for him.

What a delightful little true story! Bob’s understanding of trees as well as his incredible tree-climbing skills eventually earned him a job as an arborist. It’s a nice lesson in how being ourselves and following our passions can guide us to what we are meant for. There is some flouting of authority and some questionable life-planning near the end (Bob was living in the treehouses part-time and had no plans for his future – he lucks into his job path due to the impressed park workers recommending it to him), but the intention is that of inspiring dreamers to find their field. The illustrations are lovely, creating a realistic yet wondrous world of Bob’s treehouses and the feelings they inspired in him. The length is fine, and JJ enjoyed it, so this one’s Baby Bookworm approved!

PS – You can enter to win a copy of this book on our Facebook page!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

It Starts With A Seed (Laura Knowles)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is the absolutely lovely It Starts With A Seed, written by Laura Knowles and illustrated by Jennie Webber, the gorgeous and informative tale of a seed growing into a mighty tree.

A “helicopter” sycamore seed flutters down to the ground, and here our story begins. As the illustrations show the seed taking root, growing shoots then branches then leaves and bark, the rhyming text describes each stage of the new tree’s life cycle in poetic verse. At last, a mighty sycamore has grown, providing shelter to a plethora of woodland animals. Finally, as the tree grows and disperses seeds of its own, the story of a seed begins again.

What a positively charming book! While the seed-to-tree story has certainly been done before, the combined effort put into this quietly majestic version makes it a standout. The text flows beautifully, giving the plot a weighty yet soothing feel, like a cozy blanket. The pen-and-ink illustrations are finely detailed in a realistic style reminiscent of nature guidebooks, and bring the tree, its features and its inhabitants to fascinating life. Even the quality of the paper and binding fit the tone of the book, which will leave little readers appreciating the full life lived by every tree. The length was perfect, and JJ and I both loved it. Absolutely Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Maple (Lori Nichols)

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Hello, everyone! Today’s book is Maple by Lori Nichols, a wonderfully sweet story about a little girl and her very best friend… who happens to be a tree.

Back when Maple was still in her Mommy’s tummy, her parents planted a little tree in her honor. And as Maple grew, her namesake did as well, eventually becoming a small sapling the perfect size for a little girl to sit under and dream. Maple loves her tree, giving it a coat when it’s cold outside, dancing along with it in the wind, and playing beneath its leafy branches. Still, she sometimes wishes she had another person to play with (for instance, trees aren’t great at throwing snowballs). One day, she is surprised to find another tiny tree alongside her own… and to learn that she has a baby sister on the way. It might be new and scary, but Maple just may find that there is room under the branches of her tree for two.

This was a lovely, gentle story about nature and family. Maple’s kind, caring instincts toward her tree becoming a nurturing instinct toward her baby sister is very endearing, and makes for a very soothing and mellow story. The art, which includes real maple leaf rubbings as a motif, is adorable. The length is great, and JJ really enjoyed this. This would be a great gift for a little one who is about to be a big sibling, or for any child who loves the outdoors. Baby Bookworm approved!

What Will Grow? (Jennifer Ward)

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Hello, everyone! Our book today is What Will Grow?, written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Susie Ghahremani, a sweet look at how different types of seeds grow into plants, flowers, and trees.

Told in short rhymes, each page shows the journey of each unique type of seed: from the seed itself to a sprout, then ultimately to the grown plant it will become. The rhyme describes each little seed (from flat, oval pumpkin seeds to hard acorns), asking the reader to guess “what will grow?”, sometimes utilizing fold-out pages to show the more grand or surprising plants and trees. It ends with an appendix that shows each seed type, their maturation rate, and how seeds take root to become plants.

This was a cool and very informative book. Its simple couplet rhymes make it a quick read, and the detailed illustrations of each seed and plant are both educational and filled with color and whimsy to enchant little readers. I loved that animals were included on each page as well: it gives the a book an extra teaching element for readers learning their woodland critters. The fold-out pages were great, though I wish they had been more consistently used throughout (only a fraction of the plants introduced used them, and they were great for upping the suspense of what plant was growing). But overall, this was a fantastic book for teaching young readers about how plants grow, biodiversity, and all the possibility that can be held in one little seed. Baby Bookworm approved!