Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree: Exploring Trees Around the World

by Durga Yael Bernhard

If you were climbing a tree, just what might you see? Birds or animals or insects? Would you swing like a monkey? Or pick the ripest fruit straight from the branch? Join award-winning author and illustrator, Durga Yael Bernhard, on a trip around the world to climb its weirdest and most wonderful trees. No matter if you are in Africa, Asia, Europe, or America, there is a grand adventure waiting for you—provided you have a tree to climb in your neighborhood!

Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree explores 12 of the most distinctive trees from across the globe, and includes educational notes about each of the trees to help answer questions that curious young minds might have.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Geography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Also goes by Durga Bernhard and D. Yael Bernhard

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree" is a children's book recommended for "ages 5 and up." The poem is a simple but charming "what if" narrative of a child about the different creatures and things you might find when you climb a tree. I loved climbing trees as a child (and still do), and it reminded me of those adventures.

The pictures show the tree with a local child, setting, and creatures. It's fun to spot the creatures "hiding" in the tree. Parent's may have to explain what some creatures--like sloths--are to young children. There is a label for each tree that tells the tree's common name, scientific name, and the location. This helps you to match up the tree to the further information in the back. There is also a world map on the inner cover that shows where each tree is located.

There is further information about the trees in the back. It's adult level reading, but much of it would be interesting to a child interested in trees. The trees shown in the poem (and covered in the back) are: Weeping Fig (in Cambodia), Montezuma Cypress (Mexico), Mango (Guinea, West Africa), Monterey Pine (California), Baobab (South Africa), Lychee (Hawaii), Weeping Willow (Holland), Kapok (Brazil), Olive (Israel), Gingko (China), White Mulberry (Australia), Southern Live Oak (Southeast United States).

I recommend this is a fun and potentially educational book to parents of children who love climbing trees. The author even has a note at the end about climbing safely.

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trees are wonderful for climbing, napping in their shade, or picking fruit. Do you know where you can find a Weeping Fig? A young girl who lives in Cambodia does. She climbs from its long winding roots and up to its branches above. Have you tasted the fruits of a Mango tree in Guinea West Africa? A young boy has and he leaps from limb to limb just like a leopard. Have you ever listened to the leaves as you sat in the shade of a Gingko tree found in China? A young girl has as she sat on a branch and felt the change of the weather.

Young readers can learn all about the different trees found all over the world. Warm and colorful illustrations show children climbing and enjoying the trees around their homes. Simple sentences make for a fast fun read. Each page provides an up close look of the trees leaves and where it can be found. The back of the book shares more detail about the trees introduced in the story. Readers will also find safety tips on climbing trees. Parents and teachers will certainly appreciate what this book has to offer.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trees (and children) around the world - great for Arbor Day

I love Wisdom Tales books. They are quality reading for children. And JUST LIKE ME, CLIMBING A TREE is one of my favorite tales of theirs so far.

It has beautiful illustrations of different trees around the world and shows children around the world climbing those same trees, making discoveries and sharing a world-wide pastime.

The book shows that children around the world have more in common than they might have imagined.

The illustrations are colorful and fun. The book itself is in verse form. There is a wonderful section at the back telling more about each kind of tree. There is also a section at the back of the book on tree climbing safety.

A song is also mentioned JUST LIKE ME and the directions for downloading the song are given.

The book is due to be released on Arbor Day, April 24, 2015.

NOTE: I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In poetic text accompanied by sumptuous illustrations filled with tree-mendous details, this book introduces young readers to trees from across the world. They will follow along as various youngsters clamor into trees, including a weeping fig, a baobab, and even a Southern live oak. The book's pages offer small boxes with each tree's scientific name and its location as well as reasons for climbing them. Back matter includes additional information about the trees. There is even a cautionary note about taking care when climbing a tree. Not surprisingly, the trees in this book are lovely and clearly beckon readers to come outside.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful picture book takes readers around the world as children from different countries climb trees indigenous to their region. The brief text is a lyrical poem laden with lovely figurative language. This book should inspire young readers to appreciate nature and think about all the different kinds of trees in our world. I particularly liked the back matter filled with informational background on the trees featured in the book. This book works as both a nonfiction resource and a picture book for very young readers. Teachers should adore it in the classroom.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explore trees of the world, through the lens of a climbing child.
The illustrations do a lovely job of bringing us to the setting and capturing the life of the tree. Many excellent facts embedded in the lilting language, such as trees with deeply furrowed bark for hiding treasures or trees which are host plants for butterflies.
The journey wraps up by connecting all the children of the world through the interaction with their trees. It had me remembering fondly the tree by the stream by my house where I would sit on its roots and ponder homework and mean girls and love.

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads giveaway.

This book is perfect for some interaction with children. I would carry this book to the Los Angeles arboretum or the Huntington Library and gardens and let the kids try to find some of the trees mentioned in the book. I love the concept and the fascinating topic. Trees make me smile.

[Lauren Ricciardella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads giveaways. I recommend this for a small child that is more interested in the artwork than a story. The artwork is very nice and I like how the trees depicted in the book are described in detail at the end, but the poem is just ok to me. I felt like it should have rhymed and there really was no story at all. Overall, this is an art book more than a story book.