Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Picture Book Review: Trees by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Tiffany Bozic (2021)

Quick Booktalk 

Colorful, naturalistic illustrations and concise lines of poetic text celebrate trees and all they provide to our world.


About the Illustrations 

The pictures, which show trees from a variety of vantage points, are really well done. They fill each two-page spread, and they really capture the details of bark, leaves, branches, and flowers. There are some people in some of the images, and I don't like those illustrations as well as I like the ones involving just nature. Somehow the mood of the text seems to be disturbed when there are people on the page. I do love the endpapers, which, at the beginning, show a series of shoots growing from seeds, and which, at the end, show a decaying tree on the forest floor. I also love the pictures showing the view looking up into a tree. 


Story Time Possibilities

Because of its visual appeal, I might try this book in story time with certain audiences. It's a quiet one, so I'd definitely want to pair it with some books or songs that promote movement and participation, but with preschoolers I think a quiet book like this can be used to spark good discussions, especially since most kids will have had some experience with a tree no matter where they live. 


Readers Advisory 

Trees is an attractive picture book that celebrates the natural world. It would be a great addition to a preschool or early elementary program or curriculum focused on trees, plants, nature, etc. Though the text is more poetic than scientific, there are still some good jumping-off points for discussion and exploration of roots, leaves, animal habitats, and other connected topics. 


Disclosure

I received a finished copy of Trees from Paula Wiseman Books in exchange for an honest review.

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