Trunk Goes Thunk!: A Woodland Tale of Opposites

Gr 1-3–If a tree falls in the forest, there are many animals who will make good use of it. When a tree falls and goes “thunk,” forming a bridge across a river, a diverse group of animals gather to assess the possibilities. Deer, beaver, bears, raccoons, a lynx, ducks, a hedgehog, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, birds, and butterflies all flock to the tree, a bit wary of one another at first, and soon go their separate ways. Fourteen pairs of simple word opposites such as quiet/loud, near/far, and over/under are used to portray animal actions, while more concrete pairs such as sunrise/sunset, summer/winter, and thin/thick are used with the illustrations of the trees and surrounding forest. This is a book children will want to return to again and again to search the pages and look for the many creatures, find the opposites that go with the word pairs (helpfully printed in bold text), and respond to the gentle rhythm of the story. The animals are endearing, and the depictions of busy forest life in different seasons and times of day are beautifully ­rendered in rich earth tones. A QR code on the last page links to an educator’s guide with discussion questions, coloring sheets, and more.