Maple & Willow Together

April 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-A sweet, simple, and brief but deeply felt story about a little girl, Maple, and her namesake tree as they go through the seasons. Poetic images of her singing and shouting include Maple wrapping her jacket around the leafless tree to warm it in winter. She also welcomes spring, sharing her tree with a baby sister, Willow. The rare relationship is most magical when the tree "dances." Stina Nielsen's gentle, joyful narration echoes Nichols's flowing prose. The addition of a second track with page-turn tones will prompt young readers to pick up the book for independent discovery. These delightful characters will appeal to introspective listeners. VERDICT Highly recommended for primary classroom and library collections. ["Nichols keeps her tale blissfully simple to complement the youngsters' antics": SLJ 10/14 review of the Nancy Paulsen book.]-Barbara Wysocki, formerly of Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT

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