Weather, Climate & Seasons, Forests & Trees

Winter Trees

Name: Winter Trees
Author: Carole Gerber
ISBN: 9781580891691

by Carole Gerber, Leslie Evans

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Overview

Young readers join a boy and his dog as they use their senses of sight and touch to identify seven common trees in the snow-covered forest. Additional information about trees and their life cycles is included. The creators of Leaf Jumpers once again explore the beauty of nature through poetry and art.

Synopsis

Children's Literature

A boy walks through a forest in wintertime with his dog and notices seven different trees and starts to compare them in shape and color. The poetic language the author uses helps to create visual images even without the pictures. The rhyming of some words will help the younger reader develop pre-reading skills and recognize good poetry. The reader is able to clearly relate to the story by looking at the pictures of the boy involved in different winter activities. The reader can visualize himself enjoying these activities and walking past the seven types of trees. The descriptions of the trees will be beneficial when the reader tries to identify trees in the real world. The final pages compare the seven trees by lining them up against each other so you can see the definite differences among them. The author offers tips to identify the trees in the synopsis of the season cycle. The story would be a great asset to any science or seasonal curriculum. Reviewer: Rachel Miller

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Rachel Miller

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2

This book looks at the subtle charms of trees in winter. On a walk through a forest, a boy observes the branches, shapes, and various barks. He and his dog make snow angels, watch animals quietly eating, and tap a maple tree for syrup. The style of this book, both in text and pictures, is as quiet as its subject. In a simple poetic form, seven trees are described: sugar maple, American beech, paper birch, yellow poplar, bur oak, Eastern hemlock, and white spruce. Readers get a sense of what they look like from a distance ("the egg shape of the maple tree/the taller oval of the beech..." and up close ("the peeling bark of paper birch/feeds hungry hares that eat their fill"). Evans's intriguing illustrations mix prints, watercolor, and collage, and are tweaked with digital enhancement. The lines are thick but supple, and the boy's red jacket and golden dog enliven the soft colors of the winter landscape. This title won't jump off the shelves, but it will be appreciated by nature lovers and primary classrooms studying trees and seasonal scenery.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Kirkus Reviews

Readers can almost hear boots crunching in the snow during this subtle, stylish wintry nature walk. A boy and his dog move from tree to leafless tree as the text describes the different shapes, textures and growth habits of their discoveries. The juxtaposition of words describing the trees and the images of boy and dog either making snow angels or a snowman together provides a needed playfulness to the quiet, informational and at times somewhat clunky rhymes. Evans's clean, nostalgic illustrations combine block print, collage and watercolor perfectly to invoke the peacefulness of newly fallen snow, bringing to mind, in the best way, a letterpress holiday greeting card. The simplicity of the illustrations sometimes foregoes the details of the trees for the sake of their muted and sophisticated style. It wouldn't serve as a field guide, nor is it meant to, but still works for the nature lover. A short glossary of trees is included in the back. Overall, a visually striking, cozy winter read. (Picture book. 4-7)