Everybody's Tree
I’m just a little sprout from a mighty spruce tree, and I wonder—I WONDER!—what will I be?
Over the course of eighty years a spruce tree grows, along with the little boy who first selected it at a tree farm. As the tree grows from sapling to magnificent evergreen, the child matures as well, becoming a father and then grandfather. Now at the end of its life, the glorious tree is chosen to be the centerpiece of a city’s holiday celebration. The tree journeys from rural countryside to big city center, where everyone, young and old, comes together to celebrate a tree for all; everybody’s tree.
| Interest Level | Kindergarten - Grade 2 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 1 |
| Dewey | E |
| Lexile | |
| ATOS Reading Level | 2.9 |
| Guided Reading Level | |
| Publisher | Sleeping Bear Press |
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Available Formats | Hardcover (9781534110588), PDF (9781534167407), ePub (9781534167919), Hosted ebook (9781534167575), Kindle (9781534167742) |
| Copyright | 2020 |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Dimensions | 9 x 11 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
School Library Journal - Everybody's Tree
Joosse’s text flows well. Her lines have an elegant rhythm and rhyme, while the story zips and zings with fun onomatopoeia. Graef’s colored pencil illustrations are soft and welcoming. A variety of viewpoints nicely convey the scope and size of the tree and the celebration in a bustling, lively city. The characters throughout are a diverse group, engaged in sharing and in community-building activities, emphasizing the holiday as a time of togetherness.
Author: Barbara Joosse
Barbara Joosse is the author of 57 books for children, including Everybody’s Tree; Mama, Do You Love Me?; and The Fishermen, the Horse, and the Sea. She lives in a little harbor town on Lake Michigan. When her grandchildren sleep over on snowy nights, she reassures them that the growling sound outside their window isn’t really a monster—it’s the noisy snowplow!
Illustrator: Renée Graef
Renée Graef and her children spent many of her birthdays walking the 990-foot breakwater to reach the Port Washington Lighthouse. She has illustrated over 80 books for children including T is for Time; D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet; the “Kirsten” books in the American Girl Collection; and many of the My First Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Renée splits her time between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California. Learn more about her work at www.reneegraef.com.
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| Author/Illustrator biography |
| Original artwork |
| Reviewed |
| Full-color illustrations |