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Crinkleroot
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees
Crinkleroot invites youngsters to come along as he walks through hard- and softwood forests. How do you tell the difference? Crinkleroot knows: it's the light and the air. His charts show the leaves, stems, and seeds that help young readers identify trees.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 1992
About the author
Jim Arnosky
145 books66 followersJim Arnosky was born in New York City, NY Sept 1, 1946. He was raised in Pennsylvania. Jim graduated from high school in Philadelphia and joined the US Naval Reserves. His active duty took him to Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany.
In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.
Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.
Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.
In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.
Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.
Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 15, 2020
That charming, grandfatherly old guide to the forest, whose story began in
I Was Born in a Tree and Raised by Bees
, returns in this fourth picture-book devoted to his knowledge of the natural world. Here the topic is trees, and Crinkleroot lays out a wealth of information in a friendly and well-organized way. From the basic parts of a tree to the different types - pages are devoted to both broad-leafed/deciduous trees and to evergreen/conifer trees - from the shelter and food provided by trees to wildlife to the way in which trees are shaped by their environment, Crinkleroot covers many topics. He concludes with the hope that young people will pay more attention to the trees they encounter on their own rambles...
As a confirmed tree-lover who has also enjoyed the previous titles featuring this wonderful guide, I was almost guaranteed to appreciate Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees, and sure enough, I ended up loving it. It is both educational and entertaining, with plenty of information for young naturalists and a personable (one might even say, lovable) guide to present that information. Author/illustrator Jim Arnosky's central idea in this series of books - having a delightfully eccentric, almost gnome-like guide provide the relevant information - was inspired. It gives an almost fairy-tale like feeling to what are otherwise non-fiction books, which is atypical. The accompanying artwork, done in pen and ink and watercolor, is absolutely charming, beautifully capturing the wonders of the natural world and the appeal of Crinkleroot himself. Recommended to all young tree lovers, and to fans of Crinkleroot himself.
As a confirmed tree-lover who has also enjoyed the previous titles featuring this wonderful guide, I was almost guaranteed to appreciate Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees, and sure enough, I ended up loving it. It is both educational and entertaining, with plenty of information for young naturalists and a personable (one might even say, lovable) guide to present that information. Author/illustrator Jim Arnosky's central idea in this series of books - having a delightfully eccentric, almost gnome-like guide provide the relevant information - was inspired. It gives an almost fairy-tale like feeling to what are otherwise non-fiction books, which is atypical. The accompanying artwork, done in pen and ink and watercolor, is absolutely charming, beautifully capturing the wonders of the natural world and the appeal of Crinkleroot himself. Recommended to all young tree lovers, and to fans of Crinkleroot himself.
October 17, 2012
We've recently discovered the Crinkleroot series by Jim Arnosky. We are enchanted with Crinkleroot - he's a very entertaining character and a good teacher. The way that he teaches about nature makes us feel like we are right there in the woods with him. We also love the beautiful illustrations combined with a witty narrative.
The book is informative, but not overwhelming. The illustrations are colorful and nicely detailed. We really enjoy reading his books and we are excited to read more of the books in this series.
The book is informative, but not overwhelming. The illustrations are colorful and nicely detailed. We really enjoy reading his books and we are excited to read more of the books in this series.
April 23, 2012
Jim Arnosky has found a fun, entertaining way to teach kids about the natural world around them. Kids love these books. They didn't stay on the shelves long at the public elementary school where I volunteered.
This one tells how trees grow, develop, and live. Plus it gives information on how to tell which is which. All lead by Crinkleroot in a fun way.
This one tells how trees grow, develop, and live. Plus it gives information on how to tell which is which. All lead by Crinkleroot in a fun way.
April 18, 2012
Crinkleroot teaches readers how to identify trees and what salings vs. seeds are. He also helps readers understand why he calls trees "friends". This would best be read to older elementary students- 4th to 5th grade. It could be incorporated into a lesson on nature.
October 27, 2021
Truly wonderful nature book
This was the first Crinkleroot book we read and the whole family immediately fell in love with the illustrations, story and of course Crinkleroot. What can I say, all of Jim Arnosky’s books are so beautifully illustrated, filled with lots of wonderful, useful information about nature, animals, habitats, insects and include tips and facts. Can’t recommend the nature walks with Crinkleroot and his best friend Sassafras enough.
This was the first Crinkleroot book we read and the whole family immediately fell in love with the illustrations, story and of course Crinkleroot. What can I say, all of Jim Arnosky’s books are so beautifully illustrated, filled with lots of wonderful, useful information about nature, animals, habitats, insects and include tips and facts. Can’t recommend the nature walks with Crinkleroot and his best friend Sassafras enough.
May 23, 2021
Eventually I would like to own all the books in this series. I've slowly been looking through them as library books for now.
Crinkleroot is a wonderful guide. As he's speaking I sometimes hear his voice as the voice of David the Gnome (a cartoon I enjoyed as a child). Maybe Crinkleroot is an extra large gnome and a distant cousin to David. :)
Crinkleroot is a wonderful guide. As he's speaking I sometimes hear his voice as the voice of David the Gnome (a cartoon I enjoyed as a child). Maybe Crinkleroot is an extra large gnome and a distant cousin to David. :)
July 11, 2017
Great introduction to trees for Children. Jim Arnosky's Crinkleroot science books provide an amazing amount of information in succinct paragraphs and labels and clear illustrations. I can wait to do some sketching with Jim's drawings as my guide! Great learning for all ages.
July 31, 2018
Excellent introduction to a few simple tree classifications with easy to understand illustrations of various plants. Deciduous, coniferous, broad leaf, soft and hard wood are all terms you will walk away understanding. Crinkleroot makes the learning fun and memorable.
March 3, 2022
My kids love this book! I thought this was just gonna be a fun story about Crinkleroot ....but I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of learning information about trees! I didn't need to add any other reads to our tree unit study 😊 The illustration is beautiful
April 5, 2019
Wonderful guide to identifying and understanding trees. Soft, detailed illustrations. A perfect introduction in its level of depth about the subject. Crinkleroot is such a sweetie.
March 6, 2020
My children loved this book. I am introducing Jim Arnosky to my grandchildren now.
November 3, 2021
Great living book for learning about trees with young elementary school kids. Especially when differentiating between hardwoods and softwoods.
February 24, 2022
Gift from Harper's grandmother
Very educational. Very boring
Very educational. Very boring
April 2, 2022
Very cute! And I can see this being useful to bring along on hikes for identification help. Needs more mushrooms, though!
July 15, 2022
Cute & very informative. Will be getting lots more of these books.
July 27, 2016
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees is a very approachable way to teach children about trees (in addition to learning about them yourself). Crinkleroot is a kindly old man, and which the illustrations aren't exactly a style I like, the backdrop of trees spread throughout this book is particularly evocative. My favorite page has to be the one in which Crinkleroot describes a softwood forest.
Reading that, I felt like I could smell the damp air of the forest. It felt like home.
The book is made up of a conversational non-fiction narrative mixed with information pages -- these are easy-to-understand and not overwhelming at all. Nice illustrations to pore over with minimal labeling. The Crinkleroot series is generally a good one, but this book stands out as particularly lovely.
Reading that, I felt like I could smell the damp air of the forest. It felt like home.
The book is made up of a conversational non-fiction narrative mixed with information pages -- these are easy-to-understand and not overwhelming at all. Nice illustrations to pore over with minimal labeling. The Crinkleroot series is generally a good one, but this book stands out as particularly lovely.
March 22, 2016
09/09: This is just bloomin' adorable. I wish I could buy a copy. Alas! It's out-of-print and a tad expensive for us. This book is a cross between a field guide and a story. The approach fosters a love of the beauty of trees.
Back Cover: In this very special book, he chatty woodsman Crinkleroot shares some of the secrets of the forest while fostering an appreciation of trees as individual living things.
Back Cover: In this very special book, he chatty woodsman Crinkleroot shares some of the secrets of the forest while fostering an appreciation of trees as individual living things.
April 12, 2008
Could Crinkleroot be any cuter?!?!
April 18, 2012
I learned so much!
April 29, 2016
Good picture book style intro to trees in the North American forest.
November 8, 2016
We adore Crinkleroot! Fun, beautifully illustrated, and full of helpful information for a budding naturalist.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews