The Tree - Hardcover

Ruelle, Karen Gray

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823419045 ISBN 13: 9780823419043

Publisher: Holiday House, 2008

Synopsis

Recounts the life of an elm tree from the time it falls to the ground as a seed, through its growth while momentous events occur to humans and their city, to its maturity as the oldest tree in the park, spreading its canopy for all to enjoy.

About this title

About the Authors

Karen Gray Ruelle has been a librarian and journalist. Many of her easy readers about Harry and Emily are based on her own experiences with her brother in Connecticut. She has written and illustrated eleven previous Harry & Emily Adventures for new readers. Ms. Ruelle lives in New York City.

Deborah Durland DeSaix, a former college professor, has written and illustrated many picture books for children. Reviews for her artwork are outstanding. Booklist praised her art in Know What I Saw by Aileen Fisher saying, "De Saix steals the show, though, with lush, photorealistic scenes that are both large enough to sweeten the subtraction lesson built into the 10-to-1 countdown premise." She now lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Reviews

Grade 2–5—More than 250 years ago, an elm tree took root in land that is now part of Madison Square Park in New York City. Ruelle and DeSaix offer verbal and visual views of some of the events that have occurred around the tree since then. Over the years, the area has served as a potter's field for unfortunates such as yellow fever victims, a campground for Civil War soldiers, and a gathering spot for political demonstrations. At various times, an orphanage, railroad station, baseball field, upscale hotel, and hippodrome have existed nearby. Because so much has happened in the area, the text must race through the list of events without space to provide much detail about any of them. A pictorial time line underneath the large illustrations offers an idea of the passage of time. Dark colors and grainy shadings give many of the paintings a gloomy appearance. Three pages of historical notes will be useful for teachers who want to use the book to illustrate how communities change through time. Bruce Hiscock's The Big Tree (S & S, 1994), which features the life of a sugar maple in the New York countryside, might work as an interesting companion to this work, for teachers who wish to compare and contrast urban and rural development. In short, although Ruelle's book is unlikely to attract casual readers, it could serve as a supplemental curriculum resource.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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An elm tree grows in what becomes New York City’s Madison Square. This account is more than the history of a particular tree, however. It is also the story of how a neighborhood and park developed around it. The beginning, the tree growing from a seedpod dropped by a chipmunk, is speculation. Later developments are documented. Solemn and muted watercolor and rubbed-oil-paint illustrations, covering a page and a half of each double-page spread, give a historical feel. The palate is dark at times, but an occasional element in the illustrations seems to glow. And although the tree does not usually appear prominently on the page, a likeness of it is depicted subtly behind a text that is longer than that of many picture books, with one to two paragraphs per double page. With text, illustrations, and a pictorial time line pleasingly balanced on the pages, this is a handsome work on a subject that will have appeal to many children. Historical note appended. Grades K-3. --Randall Enos

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823419045
• ISBN 13: 9780823419043
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Desaix Deborah Durland
• Number of pages: 32