(1) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. "LOOK AT IT. Wounded, worn, twisted, torn. / One day this tree will fall / and this story will end. / Won't it?" So begins this Pacific Northwest set saga of one tree surviving when other giants around it don't. There are so many ways the tree might not have stood. From the very beginning, other seeds landed on bare rock and didn't live, or dropped into a stream, or were eaten. But this tree thrived, despite wind, drought, ice, and fire. And not only survived. "This tree flourished. This tree aged" and became its own ecosystem, "a world / of miniature forests / meadows / rivers / seas... / of silken death traps / and venomous fangs, / of bright, begging mouths / and fluttering wings." Lively, poetic writing and beautiful illustrations in a rich palette, which emphasize unique angles and close-up images of the tree's denizens, combine for a volume perfect for reading aloud, and not only in science classes. Even the youngest of readers and listeners will grasp the concepts of ecosystems and the continuity of life. A model of what an excellent STEM-focused picture book can be in its effective interplay of text and illustrations. Appended is a discussion of the science behind a tree's life, death, and life after death.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Sutton. Davies showcases the important role that plants play on Earth as consumers of carbon, producers of oxygen, and mitigators of the effects of human-induced global warming. The meaning of "green" is creatively expanded from the color we associate with plants to encompass the process of photosynthesis and the components of plant cells in which it takes place. "Their green isn't just a color...this green catches the energy in sunlight." Sutton's lush illustrations, naturally featuring many shades of green, fill the pages with tendrils, roots, and leaves at macro and micro scales and portray ecosystems on land and water throughout Earth's history as teeming with plants and animals. As Davies explains the history of plant life and its transformation into today's fossil fuels, the story shifts into how human exploitation of ancient life has meant the release of too much carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Luckily, today's green plants in the sea and across various environments fight back against climate change. We must "remember that GREEN is the most important color in the world."

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Propelled by the wind, a dry, brown tumbleweed named Tumble travels across the desert, its journey depicted by a series of dotted lines reminiscent of the bouncing ball following words in a song. Short, direct sentences on each double-page spread describe the action: "Wind blows. / Tumble goes. / Fence stops. / Tumble hops." Full-bleed, bold-hued illustrations mirror the text and add native animals (such as a collared lizard) and plants (a mesquite tree) that appear along the way. "Tumble goes and goes and goes," until a cactus impedes its progress. There, the protagonist stays for several days. Rain falls; Tumble puts down roots, turns green, blooms, and dries out, carrying its seeds as the wind again blows it across the desert. An appended double-page spread identifies the plants and animals, asking youngsters to spot them in the text and subtly reinforcing that reading is an active process. The book concludes with additional facts about tumbleweeds; a diagram of a tumbleweed's life cycle may need adult clarification, since the narrative begins in the middle of the cycle. The book begs for a group read-aloud that allows youngsters to re-create Tumble's hopping, going, stopping, and staying.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(1) PS With her latest science-focused picture book, Portis (Hey, Water!, rev. 3/19) continues to introduce very young readers and listeners to the wonders of nature. Here she details the life cycle of a sunflower in ten sequential steps. Each left-hand page features a single phrase ("a seed falls" / "and settles in the soil"), with the ­facing page showing a bright, uncluttered ­illustration mirroring the action. The story's climax--the blossoming of a flower--is shown in a gorgeous vertical spread that lifts up to announce this glorious event. The patterned text creates an internal rhythm pleasant to hear, while the single phrases on each line help emergent readers focus on both the flow and meaning of the words. Key words (seed, soil, sun, rain) are color coded to the accompanying illustration, thus reinforcing the use of context clues. The narrative concludes with birds dispersing the seeds from our flower and beginning the process anew. Back matter consists of a pictorial life cycle of the sunflower, truncating the steps from the text to present a helpful visual capture of the book's information. An accompanying diagram of the parts of a sunflower may require adult guidance, as may two charts: one showing the parts of a seed and the other listing what seeds need to sprout. A bibliography completes the book. Clear, engaging, beautiful, and perfectly pitched to its young audience--simply brilliant.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(3) K-3 Imagine This! series. Illustrated by Nic Jones. A tree in a boreal forest offers food and shelter for animals, nutrients for the soil, and more during its lifetime. When fire, pests, storms, or disease kill a tree, Bissonette explains, the tree continues to be a valuable resource in the forest. "The tree, now in its second life, hums with activity--animals nesting and looking for food." As the tree decomposes further, it enriches the soil and supports new growth. Jones's lush forest scenes are detailed but not cluttered; the informative main text is enhanced by related information in smaller type on many pages. Bissonette talks about her personal connection to trees in an author's note. Things to consider when "Exploring Snags and Fallen Logs" and suggested reading are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Turine Tran. Pando, a massive aspen grove in Utah, is "one of the biggest / living things in the world." The forty-seven thousand trees on 106 acres are linked through their root system, which surfaces and produces "clone" trees. The spare free-verse text introduces readers to this natural wonder, estimated to be twelve thousand years old. Fox effectively provides context for the massive numbers (e.g. Pando's size and age) to aid in comprehension. Particular attention is paid to how human behavior has changed Pando's environment and is threatening the organism's survival. Matching the text's reverence, Tran's delicately rendered illustrations glow with rich browns, golds, and greens. A glossary, "How You Can Help," and a bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Illustrated by Felicita Sala. A series of compelling arguments for readers to "be a tree" find root in a lyrical text told from a tree's perspective. Metaphors and analogies abound from the start, comparing the physiology of trees and humans ("Your skin is bark: dead on the outside, protecting what's within"). The narrator's focus then shifts away from human comparisons and toward trees' collective nature (regarding the fungal networks known to connect trees within a forest: "We talk, share food, store water, divide resources, alert each other to danger. A wood wide web of information"). Multiple examples of trees working together to benefit the entire ecosystem further highlight the species' collectivism. An impressive gatefold illustrates what this behavior looks like on a human level, featuring a large multiracial cast of people joyfully interacting in an idyllic park setting. From page to page, the richly colored watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations primarily feature various tree species within their native environments; however, a few spreads brilliantly show semi-abstract interpretations of complex networks of various proportions (fungi/roots; interlocking crowns). An encouraging nudge to look toward nature for guidance, and a valuable message that "together, we are a forest." Back matter includes an author's note, tree-conservation and community-building ideas, a diagram of tree anatomy, and further resources.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tiffany Bozic. In simple yet poetic language accessible to young readers, Johnston describes trees' place in nature: "Trees are friends. Their branches say, Come. Come. Climb." The observations are accompanied by visually soothing acrylic-on-wood paintings--in some, the wood grain of the substrate is preserved, adding texture--that show identifiable trees, birds, animals, wildflowers, fungi, and amphibians, as well as children. Less science lesson than appreciation for these stately companions, the text ends with back matter that names the trees pictured, gives further reading for children and adults, lists websites for tree advocacy organizations, and offers author and illustrator notes.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Scientists are learning that trees communicate with one another, and with other species, by sending chemical and electrical signals. These "instant messages," often transmitted through fungi partners entwined with tree roots, share information about soil conditions, warn of attacks from insects, and send calls for help when a tree is in distress. Judge thoroughly explains the many ways in which trees and the organisms that live in, under, and near them form complex and interdependent ecosystems. She emphasizes cooperation, rather than competition, to highlight the ways they help other species and trees in their immediate areas. The volume's well-organized layout runs scientific information down a column far to the right side of each double-page spread, while short poems imagining what trees are saying can be found mostly to the left, overlaying the illustrations. In the poems, the trees speak solemnly, their communications translated into the voices of wise matriarchs caring for all living things. Central to the layouts are the figures themselves: grand stands of North American and European trees, beautifully portrayed with twisty branches, fluttering leaves, and intricate root complexes. The perspectives shift with each turn of the page, from human eye level to a bird's overhead view, and then down on and under the forest floor. Extensive notes in the back matter provide additional details about the species in each illustration, as well as lists of resources and a glossary.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Julien Norwood & Isabelle Simler. In four information-dense chapters, this French import explores tree structure, growth, reproduction, and products. A fifth section surveys some unusual tree species. Interested readers will come away with a solid grasp of botanical vocabulary and biological processes, including tree self-defense and communication. The minutely detailed illustrations, reminiscent of a naturalist's notebook, use texture, shape, and color to differentiate the arboreal subjects, while quizzes, activities, and "My Observatory" pages invite reader interaction. A final spread includes an index, answer key, and an invitation to "find the trees these fruits grow on in the book." The in-depth treatment may limit the book's audience, but for tree-lovers feeding a passion, it will be welcome.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Translated by Julie Cormier. Vast profiles five different ways plants "move" their seeds, shoots, and fruit to new locations as part of their reproductive cycles. Seeds from dandelions and trees "fly away" or "fall"; the tendrils of strawberries "creep" across the ground; and animals transport burdocks that "cling" to their fur and berries that "get eaten" by birds and mice. The relocations are revealed across a mix of panel series and full-page illustrations, starting with the seeds attached to their parent plants, then moving step-by-step toward their final destinations. The clever graphic design employs the same purple hue throughout for the parts of the plants that don't move, providing silhouette-like outlines of leaves and stems. In contrast, the parts that move are shown in contrasting hues that make them easy to see as they fly through the air or travel through the digestive systems of the animals that disseminate them. Each of the five sections ends on a page filled with examples of other plants that employ the same movement.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Nature All Around series. Illustrated by Carolyn Gavin. Photosynthesis, pollination, leaf types, and more feature in this fact-filled beginner's guide to Canadian and American trees. Smudgy watercolor and gouache illustrations lack the realistic detail you'd expect in a guidebook but compensate with vibrant eye-catching hues (particularly in the sections on trees in each season). Instructions on tree-watching and -planting encourage readers to experience nature for themselves. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA Koch's eye-opening text, well-illustrated with color photos and diagrams, unveils the semi-invisible communication happening among trees. Chapters center on individual scientists' discoveries, providing readers with a glimpse into their innovative research. Koch emphasizes that trees are living beings essential to human and nonhuman well-being and concludes with a convincing call for sustainable forest management. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Masha D'yans. Narrated by a sassy purple prickly pear cactus, this playful, informative book about pollination teaches budding botanists how to interpret plant colors (e.g., yellow flowers say: "Bees, bargain basement this way--free food!"). D'yans's watercolors--featuring flowers, insects, and wide-eyed birds--are overly busy but burst with colors and textures as each page imparts science facts. Pollination steps and tips for protecting pollinators are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Hitchhiking, catapulting, and drifting--these are just three of the ways seeds move. Thirteen other forms of seed dispersal are described, all illustrated with large, colorful digital illustrations. The final pages encourage readers to try growing a seed themselves. While the text and illustrations are engaging and fairly informative, curious readers may be left with questions; back matter would have been helpful.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) K-3 It's spring, and everything is fresh and growing: "Seeds sprout. / Stems pop out." Each set of short rhyming couplets, on facing pages, precedes the refrain--"Bloom, boom!"--on the following double-page spread. Clear, vibrant photography and a large trim size brings spring's flowers to life. Includes notes on the featured flora. Websites.

Reviewer: Meredith Madyda

(4) K-3 This richly illustrated visual miscellany of plant types and functions celebrates botanical biodiversity. Presented alphabetically (if botanically disordered), the browsable volume covers plant groups from aquatics, deciduous, and perennials to "the big eaters," "the stinkers," and "the magical." With pictorial jokes on nearly every spread, exuberance and humor trump scientific information. Includes a useful appendix of illustrated leaf shapes. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) 4-6 From redwoods to baobabs, Filippucci presents brief overviews of the natural history and cultural meanings of twelve different tree species around the world. Each spread offers a literary quote and a large illustration that reflect that tree's significance. While the text offers some unexpected nuggets of information, Filippucci's gorgeous, intricate watercolor and ink art is the book's real highlight. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Using brief rhyming text, this book introduces flowers typical of cold-climate North America in seasonal blooming order, beginning with the early-arriving snowdrop and crocus and ending with autumn's chrysanthemums. Though the illustrations of animals lack warmth, the digital-collage depictions of flowers are eye-catching and appropriately vibrant. Further information about the flowers is appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Gibbons's signature labeled ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations are as striking as ever. The spare text introduces flowers' many forms, environments, and life cycles as well as information about flower propagation. Final pages describe creating a flower garden and the many ways to enjoy flowers (cut, potted, etc.); "Flower Facts" are also appended.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges