Happy Birthday, Tree!

PreS-Gr 2–Joni wants to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish “Birthday of the Trees” (as explained in an author’s note at the front of the book). She offers various gifts to the tree in her front yard: water, sun, a dirt “cupcake,” but concludes that it needs a companion. Friends and family help her plant a sapling, and their gift is a promise to take care of the trees of the world. In a lovely conclusion, the rattling of leaves sounds “as if the trees were clapping.” Endpapers list “ways to help the Earth,” including a suggestion to spread the word to friends. Warm, impressionistic digital paintings show resourceful Joni, her cooperative friend Nate, and their peaceful, leafy neighborhood. Their ideas for gifts are realistic, their love for nature is palpable, and they make fine role models for readers. An excellent choice for caregivers to read before holding a tree celebration of any kind with children.–Heidi Estrin, Congregation B’nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL