This Tree Counts!

This Tree Counts!

By Alison Formento

Illustrated by Sarah Snow

Albert Whitman and Company, 2010 

ISBN #978-0-8075-7890-2

Nonfiction picture book

Grades PreK-2

"Only one tree stood behindOakLaneSchool. It needed friends. So Mr. Tate's class decided to plant more trees."

This Tree Counts

As the children lean in to listen to the single tree, they are surprised to hear one owl, two spiders, three squirrels, and so on, as they count to ten. From the children's questions come more tree facts about trees, wood, and the uses trees bring to everyone. The children plant ten trees and leave them waving in the wind.

The art brings the trees and organisms living within and around them to life in vivid, realistic detail. It depicts the nature explored by the children in the book and brings it to life in a gorgeous array of spring colors.

This book takes the readers and listeners on a walk through the trees but delves deeper into trees and how they help us. It's a lively book that will keep the youngsters interested in trees and all things relating to trees. It would be a perfect book to read for Arbor Day or Earth Day for young children.  Formento is also the author of This Tree, One, Two, Three.

Activity

Take a nature hike and record examples of things you see that you can count. Go back and make a pictograph of the objects in order from least to greatest. Or make a pictograph using the objects in the book.

Alison Formento, the author, has a wonderful teacher guide and activity pages.

Visit the Whitman page for the book.

Practice making a pictograph before the nature walk

Read information about pictographs

National Science Standard: organisms and their environment

Book provided by Albert Whitman & Company