Save the Tree!

The Big Green Help
Wonder Pets!
Save the Tree!
adapted by Kermit Frazier
illustrated by Amy Marie Stadelmann
children's fiction, ages 3-6

The Wonder Pets television show follows the same format each episode - the Wonder Pets get a call from an animal that is in trouble and the Wonder Pets save the animal (usually a baby animal). This book changes the format, however, and has them save an urban tree that is in an abandoned city lot. The plot is awkward because the song says that the animal in trouble has to get on a telephone to ask for help. Trees can't get on the telephone and trees aren't animals. This book and episode is part of Nick Jr.'s Earth Day celebration - The Big Green Help. Why didn't they have the Wonder Pets save an endangered bug or snake or something instead?
Other than that, this book is charming, as is the entire operatic series.

Up, Up, Down

Up, Up, Down
by
Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko
Children's fiction, ages 3-6.
Anna climbs up on furniture. Anna climbs up on everything. Anna climbs a tree and her parents try to get her down. Anna is disobedient and doesn't get punished for it, but this is a funny book and parents may forgive Anna because she makes them laugh. Read this book for the humorous band-aid application at the end.
http://www.band-aid.com/

For more about Band-aids, see "Doctor Dan the Bandage Man" by Helen Gaspard and Corrine Malvern, published by Little Golden Books about 40 or 50 years ago.

Keep Climbing Girls

Keep Climbing Girls
by
Beah E. Richards and R. Gregory Christie
labelled as children's fiction ages 4-8 BUT I DISAGREE.

Sometimes it is a good idea to take a poem and make it into a children's book. This has been done a number of times with success. This time it was NOT successful. This may be a beloved poem from 1951, but the problem with making it into a children's book is that it uses a lot of words that children don't know.
My objections:

First of all, it starts with a really long introduction written for adults. That was my first hint that this might not be a good book for children.

Second of all, it uses these words: profound, confident, ambition, contrition, supposition, consternation, diplomacy, and disdain. My audience was confused. If we had just looked at the pictures and not read the text we probably would have been fine.

Third of all (this is when the person assisting me stopped reading it to the children) an adult threatens to kill a child. We thought we read this wrong and should change the wording, but no. The woman does threaten to kill a child.

If a college professor, or liberated teenager wants to have this book on their shelf, they should feel free, but it really isn't for children.

Apparently School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist all failed to notice these three points when they gave it rave reviews, focusing instead on the positive feminist and civil rights message.

Hello, Tree!

Hello, Tree!
by Joanne Ryder and Michael Hays
children's fiction, or maybe poetry/prose, ages 3-5

The joy of a tree! This book celebrates all the ways we can enjoy trees - leaves, bark, climbing, fruit, shade, and more. It shows children enjoying trees.
I thought this was a fine book, but if I were the editor I would have had a tree identification guide in the back showing the leaves and fruit of the trees that were mentioned. Maple, oak, willow, pine, gingko, and sassafras were mentioned and there is a buckeye on the back cover but it is not labelled.
Teachers can add these to the book and use this in class. It would be a good choice for supplementary reading for science class.
This was on a reading list from our local park system.

Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3

Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3
by

Bill Martin, Michael Sampson, and Lois Ehlert.

Children's fiction, ages 2-6.

"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" is a beloved children's favorite and this sequel delivers. Numbers, not letters, climb the tree this time and there is a surprising hero that saves the day. Older children will understand the ending. Parents, teachers, or librarians may have to explain the ending to the youngest listeners. This book is a good one for acquainting children with numbers used in order counting up and counting down.

I see that my library also has a video version of this with narration. This book is paired with other books about numbers.

Take a City Nature Walk

Take a City Nature Walk

by

Jane Kirkland

Nonfiction, ages 8 and up

or

parent/child, student/teacher, pupil/park ranger, etc. with a child as young as 3 or so.

Part of the Take a Walk Series

This was on a list that the library and park system distributed on enjoying nature and enjoying reading about nature. We take our city animals and plants for granted. Think about the raccoons, crickets, crows, robins, dandelions, redbuds, & trees-of-heaven. If you lived in Hawaii or Iceland or Russia you would have completely different plants and animals to observe.

Even in a dingy, crowded, urban scene or in a pretty city park we can hear birds and see insects flying around. Even if you live in a condo or apartment there are hawks or seagulls or pigeons to observe. Even if it is winter you may have a ladybug, housefly or houseplant to see.

This is the kind of book we should read at least twice a year to remind us of what we take for granted.

I see that these are others in the series:

Take a Backyard Bird Walk

Take a Tree Walk

Take a Walk with Butterflies and Dragonflies

Take a Beach Walk

Since there are a number of ideas for projects, I can see that scouts, homeschoolers, and more would benefit from this book and series.

This book one an award from USA Book News, and is recommended by the National Gardening Association and the National Science Teachers Association.