ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
PICTURE BOOKS
Rusch, Elizabeth

Zee Grows a Tree

32 pp. | Candlewick | March, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-9754-9 $17.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. On the day Zee is born, a small shoot emerges in a clay pot on her parents' Christmas tree farm. It is quickly designated as "Zee's Tree," and the two grow up together, with Zee being the tree's primary caregiver. Without a hint of anthropomorphism, Rusch makes targeted comparisons. For example, Zee goes to kindergarten with a new outfit and "new look"; concurrently, her tree gets a pruning. When both the tree and Zee are eight, Zee is big enough to decorate her now-fully-grown Christmas tree all by herself. Hillenbrand's soft-hued mixed-media illustrations not only reflect the text but also clarify and expand the narrative. Small expository notes, set apart from the main text, provide further scientific information. Appended with an index, a bibliography, and instructions for the care of live ­Christmas trees.
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

RELATED 

PICTURE BOOKS

Born Ready
by Patterson, Jodie
PICTURE BOOKS

The House of Grass and Sky
by Ray, Mary Lyn
PICTURE BOOKS

The Dog's Gardener
by Storms, Patricia
PICTURE BOOKS

And I Paint It
by Kephart, Beth
PICTURE BOOKS

Poem in My Pocket
by Tougas, Chris
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?