21 Things to Do With a Tree - Jane Wilsher - ★★★★★

AUTHOR: Jane Wilsher

ILLUSTRATOR: Martin Stanev

GENRE: Children's Nonfiction, Nature.

RATING: 5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A planet-friendly book in every way possible. Informative, inspiring, and practical. Loved it!

If you had asked me for a list of “things to do with a tree”, I would have probably mentioned basic actions like climb it, hug it, sit under it, and watch the animals/birds/nests in the branches. That’s it. I don’t think I could have jotted down even ten items for an arboreal agenda. And here is a book with a whopping twenty-one things that readers can do with/around trees.

Here’s where the authors took the simple premise and pushed it up to the highest level of excellence:

🌳 The list of twenty-one items doesn’t comprise merely simple activities like the ones I mentioned earlier. Each item is expanded to include additional information connected to that specific point. For example, “Talk leaves with your tree” has details on the physical structure and the function of leaves, the reason most leaves are green, and the various leaf shapes. “Climb your tree” has a checklist of what to ensure *before* the climb, and also a list of advisory points about tree-climbing precautions.

🌳 Though every page is choc-a-bloc with information, it never seems cluttered. The structure is easy to read and assimilate. Rather than being presented in large textual stacks, the content is broken across the page in tiny, manageable chunks such that the effect isn’t overwhelming to young readers.

🌳 There are special activities on some pages that kids can expend their creative juices on, such as guessing a tree’s height or making a forest picture.

🌳 The content is at a vocabulary level fairly manageable for the target audience of grades 1-3.

🌳 The illustrations are exactly as they ought to be for a nature-themed book. Every page is hued with an earth-toned palette, with green dominating the space. The little children peppering the natural sketches cover diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, ensuring the inclusivity.

🌳 My favourite part as a parent: Ample reminders and warnings and guiding points about things to do or not to do while carrying out the activities. At any point where there is a chance of a mishap, there is a note attached, reminding children to be careful. These are not just in terms of the children’s safety but also general behavioural guidelines around trees such as no littering or plucking. It’s nice to see books take a responsible approach towards safety.

🌳 Don’t you just love books that ‘walk the talk’? This book, as with all Ivy Kids titles, will be printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, local to where they will be sold. When publishers care about sustainability and highlight this in their books, little readers also realise the importance of reduce and reuse.

What more would you want? Education, entertainment, illustrations, moral values, and sustainability – this little package has everything!

Strongly recommended. Will work great for discussions as well as action at homes, schools, and libraries.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “21 Things to Do With a Tree”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.