The Family Tree

K-Gr 4—Visually told through priceless, historically revealing watercolor and ink illustrations, and voiced with succinct sentences and brief speech bubbles, this picture book chronicles five generations and their "family tree." The title-page illustration depicts an aerial view of a covered wagon entering a forest of dense treetops. Therein, a pioneer stops and starts chopping trees to create a clearing. But he stops, and ponders, "Hmm…not this one." He leaves one tree standing to "provide shade for this house during the long hot summers and act as a buffer against chilly winter winds." Others he uses to make planks, boards, beams, fences, posts, and rails. His oxen help him raise his house. "New generations join the family. Old ones left." Roads are being widened, and workers come to say, "The tree [is] in the way." The great-great-grandson stands in front of it in protest. A bird call goes out, and all the animals that live there join the effort. In what is a true illustrative tour de force, with superb pacing, children see the results of the workers' huddle to find a solution. Pair this stunning book with Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House (Hougton Mifflin, 1942) and Bonnie Pryor's The House on Maple Street (Morrow, 1987) for an eye-opening program on change and ecological awareness.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City