The Jelly Bean Tree

Toddler-PreS—This gentle story centers on Jelly Bean, a blue giraffe who is very fond of trees. She loves sleeping with her head resting on the branches of a tree. After one long nap, Jelly Bean awakens to find that a mama bird has built a nest on top of her head! Jelly Bean quickly decides that she must become a tree, standing tall and waiting patiently for the eggs to hatch. Luckily for Jelly Bean, her colorful friends—Elephant, Dog, and Turtle—bring her snacks to eat and flowers to make her smile. Jelly Bean is such a perfect tree that when the eggs finally hatch, all the birds want to stay nestled on the giraffe's head, napping contentedly together. The soothing language and colorful torn tissue paper art will be as appealing to young children as the trees are to Jelly Bean. Especially engaging are the opening spreads, which introduce listeners to Jelly's tail and long legs and, of course, her very long neck and black jelly bean—shaped spots.