Tree of Wonder

August 1, 2015

K-Gr 3-This enlightening picture book introduces readers to the almendro tree, a native of the rain forest in Latin America and host to more than a thousand organisms. The endpapers show silhouettes of the 10 animals (including the great green macaw, the rusty wandering spider, and the blue morpho butterfly) that will be introduced, providing a preview of the material to come. Each spread contains a short paragraph of text about the featured animal and a sidebar that offers more specific information. Small silhouettes of each creature are included with each entry, which double in number as the book goes on (eight howler monkeys are followed by 16 fruit bats and so on), underscoring just how many creatures live in this single tree. The lush, rich acrylic and pencil illustrations provide additional material by showing different views of the tree and its resident animals-a view from a nest inside the tree, close-ups among the leaves and branches, and a look at the roots and ground surrounding the tree. The main text is descriptive and poetic, complementing the more straightforward, factual writing of the sidebars. VERDICT A good addition to the literature about rain forest plants and animals. Use with Gail Gibbons's Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests (HarperCollins, 1994).-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Grades K-2 In this multidisciplinary picture book, one almendro tree supports a wide variety of animal populations, from avian and reptile to insect and mammal. Mulazzani's lush, verdant acrylic illustrations of the tree and its resident creatures have the charming simplicity of an Henri Rousseau painting. A brief, lively sentence describes what's happening in the picture, while a right-hand sidebar provides more comprehensive information about the animal in language suited to more advanced readers. Especially astute little ones will notice the graphic representation of growth in the rain forestsilhouettes of creatures double with each page turn, rapidly increasing and giving a tidy visual guide to how quickly animals in the rain forest multiply as well as how many creatures depend on the tree for shelter and food. The clever interweaving of science, ecology, and math ensures that this succinct, engaging picture book will work on many levels. The end material includes information on the almendro tree, rain-forest math problems, and additional sources for rain-forest research.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)