Tree Is a Plant
- Book Review,
by Clyde Robert Bulla
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A newly illustrated version of a 1960 publication. Although the title and beginning pages indicate a broad look at trees, the focus is on the apple tree. Through impressionistic paintings and a simple text, the book describes its seasonal cycle. Bulla discusses the parts of the tree and their functions without complex explanations of the mechanisms involved in fruit formation, photosynthesis, etc. "The blossoms last only a few days.-The apples are where the blossoms were before." Concepts such as water intake are emphasized with arrows indicating its route within the plant. The charming paintings, many of which are full-page and large enough for comfortable group sharing, depict numerous outdoor scenes peopled by children of various ethnic backgrounds. An appended section includes instructions for a transpiration experiment and suggests a method for measuring the age of a tree. Gail Saunders-Smith's Apple Trees (Bridgestone, 1998), illustrated with photos, also takes a seasonal approach, but it has a more controlled vocabulary and contains much less information than Bulla's book. Saunders-Smith's From Blossom to Fruit (Pebble, 1998) is exclusively about apple formation, with a very simplified vocabulary and close-up color photos.Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 3-6. From the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, this reillustrated book on the science of trees is well designed for preschool and early-primary-grade children. The text, from the 1960 edition of the book, follows an apple plant from seed to sprout to tree, including the development of blossoms, leaves, and fruit. The functions of roots, trunk, branches, and leaves are also discussed, as well as the seasonal changes in the tree. Schuett's colorful paintings clearly illustrate topics explained in the text, while their pleasing colors, rounded forms, and small, playful animals will help keep children involved in the topic. The last spread includes a simple activity-- a way of estimating the age of a tree--and a few suggested books on trees and plants. A good starting place for understanding trees. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Kirkus
Glowing new illustrations adorn this classic "Let's Read and Find Out Science" primer, first published in 1960.
Book Description
A tree is the biggest plant that grows. Trees can live for a very long time, and they are alive all year long, even when they look dead in winter.In this newly illustrated book, you will learn how a tree grows and how it gets food and water. You can also find out what happens to water after it travels through a tree's roots, branches, and leaves, and how to figure out a tree's age.Clyde Robert Bulla's simple and concise text and Stacey Schuett's lush illustrations follow a tree's continuous life cycle through spring, summer, winter, and fall.
About the Author
Clyde Robert Bulla grew up on a farm near King City, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books for children, including What Makes A Shadow?,, illustrated by June Otani. Mr. Bulla was the first winner of the Southern California Council on Children's Literature Award for distinguished contribution to the field. He now lives in Los Angeles, California.
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