The Gumdrop Tree

School Library Journal

K-Gr 1With its bright, angular, airbrushed acrylic illustrations, this bouncy first-person narrative will make a great story-time read-aloud. A little girl plays with a bag of gumdrops given to her by her father. She can't bear the thought of eating them, because if she does, they'll be all gone. Then she has an ideashe will plant the candies and grow a gumdrop tree. She then waters and cultivates them patiently. Finally one seedling sprouts. After a while, she gives upthe tree is doing well, but it bears no sweets. She still checks on it now and then and, one wonderful day, it is literally covered with sugary drops. Of course, she eats them. In the final illustration, readers see that a couple of gumdrops remain painstakingly tied to the branches with white thread (presumably by two loving parents). The book is attractively designed; the large, bold print will appeal to beginning readers. A fun fantasy to satisfy every sweet tooth.Jan Shepherd Ross, Dixie Elementary Magnet School, Lexington, KY