The Things That I LOVE about TREES written by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Charlotte Voake is a beautiful picture book about the endearing and powerful aspects of trees as told through the eyes of a little girl. The narration is accompanied by useful informational materials, housed in italics, about such things as pollen, birds, roots, bark and plum trees.
The story and the pictures walk hand in hand through each season. In Spring the little girl loves the buds, the blossoms and the bees. In the Summer she loves how big and leaf-full the trees are. When Fall arrives she loves the magical change of colors of the falling leaves. In the Winter she loves to be able to look all the way up the bare trunks to the very top while the trees “wait to wake up all over again.”
The illustrations are boldly- rendered in ink and watercolor. A sturdy Oak tree graces the front cover of the book calling the child forth to open it. Leaves from the Sycamore, Beech, Oak, Hazel, Birch and Sweet Chestnut are scattered across the end papers. The double-page illustration of the little girl swinging from a limb of a mighty Oak while a playmate does the pushing is a picture-perfect illustration of the Summer.
The Things That I LOVE about TREES written by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Charlotte Voake is a picture book reminder that trees are a comforting, powerful and important part of the life cycle of childhood and of the Earth itself. It is a refreshing book with which to welcome Spring for children 4-7 years of age (Candlewick Press, 2018).
Questions for The Things That I LOVE about TREES
What does the little girl in this story love about trees? What do you love about trees? Have you ever had a picnic under a shady tree? Have you ever climbed a tree? Have you ever played in a pile of leaves? Have you ever built a tree house? Now, ask a parent what they love about trees.
Look at the leaves on the endpapers located at the beginning and end of this book. Do you recognize the Oak leaf or the Sycamore leaf or perhaps the Birch leaf? Can you find the seven trees in this book by the pictures shown on the endpapers? Happy hunting!
Do you have a favorite tree in your backyard, around your school grounds or in a nearby park? Think about it. Can you close your eyes and see this tree? In what season do you see it? Study its trunk. How does it feel when you touch the trunk? What is the shape of this tree? Does it have leaves or pine cones? Are there any birds or nests in this tree? Now, take a piece of white construction paper and draw a picture of your special tree.
