One Small Place in a Tree: A Lyrical Book About the Hidden World of a Tree Hollow for Children (Ages 4-8) - Hardcover

Brenner, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068817180X ISBN 13: 9780688171803

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004

Synopsis

Deep in the forest . . .

A bear sharpens her claws on a tree trunk. The scratched bark chips; a tiny hole forms. Timber beetles tunnel inside. The hole grows bigger and bigger.

In lyrical prose, Barbara Brenner reveals the fascinating happenings in one small place. She explains how, over many years, the rough hole transforms into a cozy hollow -- home to salamanders, tree frogs, a family of white-footed mice. Tom Leonard’s absorbing illustrations take you beneath the bark to a hidden world. His warm, lifelike depictions of squirrels and bluebirds, snakes and spiders show the splendor that dwells in the most unexpected places.

So stop. Observe. Explore your natural world. If you look closely enough, you will surely find . . . one small place that is home for something.

About this title

About the Authors

Barbara Brenner's curiosity about the world ranges far and wide. Her interests are reflected in the wide scope of her quality fiction and nonfiction. Some of her best-selling titles include Wagon Wheels and Voices: Poetry and Art from Around the World, which was an ALA Notable Book for Children and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. One Small Place in a Tree is a companion book to the striking One Small Place by the Sea. Barbara Brenner lives with her husband, artist Fred Brenner, in Hawley, Pennsylvania.

Tom Leonard's scientific folk-art style and fantastic perspectives have been influenced by Albert Lamorisse, Wilson McLean, and Chris Van Allsburg. In his illustrations for Madeleine Dunphy's Here is the African Savanna and Margaret Wise Brown's Under the Sun and the Moon, the vivid colors of the natural world nearly leap off the page. A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art, Tom Leonard lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

From the Back Cover

Deep in the forest . . .

A bear sharpens her claws on a tree trunk. The scratched bark chips; a tiny hole forms. Timber beetles tunnel inside. The hole grows bigger and bigger.

In lyrical prose, Barbara Brenner reveals the fascinating happenings in one small place. She explains how, over many years, the rough hole transforms into a cozy hollow -- home to salamanders, tree frogs, a family of white-footed mice. Tom Leonard’s absorbing illustrations take you beneath the bark to a hidden world. His warm, lifelike depictions of squirrels and bluebirds, snakes and spiders show the splendor that dwells in the most unexpected places.

So stop. Observe. Explore your natural world. If you look closely enough, you will surely find . . . one small place that is home for something.

Reviews

Reviewed with Barbara Brenner's One Small Place by the Sea.

Gr. 2-4. These companion books offer a glimpse of nature in action by zeroing in on "one small place" teeming with living things. By the Sea takes an up-close look at a tide pool, briefly describing the timing of the tides and how the changes affect tide pool inhabitants, while giving a more in-depth explanation of the complex interdependence of the plants and animals in their unique environment. In One Small Place, a bear uses a tree as a scratching post, thus beginning the chain of events that leads to a large hole that becomes home to a variety of forest animals. Brenner makes the science enjoyable and understandable, and Leonard's highly detailed, realistic illustrations provide great visual aid. These attractive volumes will nicely complement a science unit on ecology. Lauren Peterson
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 068817180X
• ISBN 13: 9780688171803
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Leonard Tom
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32