Books

Trees

Berger, Carin, The Little Yellow Leaf, Greenwillow, 2008. (Grades PreK-3)

Coats, Mary Jane, The Almond Orchard, Simon and Schuster, 1991. (Grades PreK-2)

Narrating in her grandmother's voice, Coats describes raising almonds in California at the turn of the century, when harvesting was handwork done by the family with some neighbors' help and the crop was dried in the sun; the year's cycle is completed with winter pruning and the sweet spring bloom. The narrative continues to the present, with expanded acreage and modern equipment.

Fleming, Denise, Where Once There Was a Wood, Henry Holt, 2000. (Grades PreK-2)

The simple, hand-lettered text introduces the wild creatures and plants that once thrived in a wooded area, before their displacement by a housing development. Suggestions for creating backyard habitats and brief directions for establishing butterfly and hummingbird gardens are included.

Gackenbach, Dick, Mighty Trees, Voyager, 1996. (Grades K-3)

Three conifers begin to grow at the same time. At maturity, one is cut to manufacture paper (including gift-wrap, other party goods, and ``even this book''); one becomes a giant Christmas tree (for Rockefeller Center); while, next to the two stumps, the ``most important'' tree still stands, home to an unrealistic peaceable kingdom of birds and beasts--eagle and titmouse, nocturnal raccoon and owl, and many more, all together under a sunny sky.

Gill, Shelley, and Shannon Cartwright, The Last American Rainforest: Tongass, Paws IV, 1997. (4-6)

This full-color picture book explores Tongass--the last American rainforest--through the eyes of a Tlingit Indian girl whose search for ancient tree roots leads to the discovery of her own family history.

Hiscock, Bruce, The Big Tree, Boyds Mills, 1999. (Grades K-3)

The story of a maple tree in New York state, how it began from a seed, grew up in the forest primeval, survived the pioneer's axe to live in a family's yard, has provided shade and syrup to generations passing on its way to becoming the venerable giant it is now.

Jordan, Christmas Tree Farm, Scholastic, 1993. (Grades PreK-2)

Describes the activities that take place on a Christmas tree farm in Rhode Island throughout each season of the year.

Leavell, Chuck, and Nicholas Cravotta, The Tree Farmer, VSP, 2005.

A grandfather who owns a tree farm takes his grandson on a magical journey through the forest, where trees become musical intruments, books, a baby's crib and more. The story explains the vital role that trees play in our lives, providing us with the wood for our homes, furniture and other products, and mankind's responsibility to protect and care for them.

Locker, Thomas, Sky Tree, HarperCollins, 1995. (Grades PreK-2)

Science and art appreciation join forces in this variation on the theme of changing seasons. Accomplished oil paintings in a high romantic style show a single tree and its surroundings in transition-in deep winter or at the peak of autumn, for example.

Marshall, Pam, From Tree to Paper, Lerner, 2002. (Grades PreK-3)

Early reader book that begins with replanting a forest to foster the concept of trees as a renewable resource. Excellent photos depict modern production and processing from tree to paper. Includes a glossary.

Muldrow, Diane, and Bob Staake, We Planted a Tree, Golden, 2010. (Grades PreK-4)

A family in Brooklyn plants a tree; turn the page and a Kenyan family plants a tree on the bare African savanna. A poem about the wondrous benefits of trees. Trees provide shade, help clean the air and provide food for many. Illustrations take readers around the globe with scenes from Paris, Tokyo and elsewhere.

Nivola, Claire A., Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. (Grades 4-6)

Kenyan activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai encourages people to repair their economy, land and health by planting more trees. Tracking forward from Maathai's childhood to the rich landscape of Kenya's highlands, the words and pictures show how Maathai's deep connection with nature as a youth inspired her to develop sustainable practices as an adult.

Oppenheim, Joanne, Tseng, Jean, and Mou Sien Tseng, Have You Seen Trees? Scholastic, 1995.

Vibrant watercolors impart new luster to this poem first published nearly 30 years ago. "Have you seen summer trees?/ Shade-me-from-the-light trees./ Whisper-in-the-night trees?" The delicate brush strokes and glowing colors of the Tsengs' illustrations celebrate trees in all their varied glory, from the sun-drenched yellows and greens of fresh buds to the flame reds of autumn maples, to the brittle, icy blues and whites of winter-coated branches. Children jump in a pile of raked leaves, laze under summer willows and gather 'round the campfire, a glowing circle of light beneath a star-speckled sky.

Pfeffer, Wendy, and Robin Brickman, A Log's Life, Simon and Schuster, 1998. (Grades K-3)

An introduction to the life, death, and decay of an oak tree. The simple, informative text presents the complex cast of characters residing in or on the living tree as well as the decomposing log - from woodpeckers, squirrels, and porcupines to carpenter ants, millipedes, slugs, and fungi. The descriptions of this rich ecosystem are enhanced by striking illustrations of three-dimensional paper sculptures, often so realistic as to seem to be preserved natural specimens.

Purmell, Ann, Christmas Tree Farm, Holiday House, 2006. (Grades 2-6)

A comprehensive look at Christmas tree farming that examines the production and marketing of Christmas trees. It begins with harvest on a family-owned Christmas tree farm but progresses to planting tree seedlings in the spring. It includes tree trimming and examines the benefits of tree farming to wildlife.

Sohi, Morteza E., Look What I Did With a Leaf, Walker and Co., 1993. (Grades K-3)

A unique combination of nature craft, art theory, and field guide. The bulk of the book is an album of collage animals formed out of leaves in an array of sizes, shapes, and autumnal colors. Each white page is graced by a single easily identifiable creature, among the most striking a butterfly, a cow, and a peacock. In a conversational tone with rich vocabulary, the text discusses considerations in creating the projects and encourages a variety of texture and effect through the use of color, contrast, shape, and size. "Art Notes" provide tidbits of peripheral advice for simplifying the projects. The book concludes with step-by-step how-to information for readers to assemble their own masterpieces, an explanation and diagram of the life cycle of a leaf, and a simple field guide that identifies the samples used in the models.

Tresselt, Alvin, and Henri Sorensen, The Gift of the Tree, HarperCollins, 1992. (Grades PreK-2)

Originally published as The Dead Tree, this book focuses on the majesty of the oak tree in maturity, through gradual decline to final decay. The interdependence of plant and animal life is clearly evident, including both those that seek its shelter and those that hasten the decaying process to prepare the soil for new life. Seasons and years fade one into another through impressionistic woodland scenes that form the background for the oak and various animals that appear in realistic form. Color tones reflect the seasons, as they are softly muted in fall and winter; more vivid in spring and summer.

Winter, Jeanette, The Christmas Tree Ship, Philomel, 1994. (Grades K-3)

Based on the true story of Herman Schuenemann, who, beginning in 1887, sailed down Lake Michigan each year from upper Michigan to bring a shipload of Christmas trees to the city. One year, tragedy strikes and his ship goes down in a storm. "When the snows of November blew in again," however, his wife and daughters decide to carry on the tradition, and the tree-laden schooner sails once again.

Recommend a book.

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.