When a Tree Grows

This humorous picture book tells a sweet story of friendship, generosity, and how one fun thing leads to another.
 
When Moose sees the inviting tree where Squirrel has built his nest, he rubs his itchy antlers against the trunk—and sets in motion a chain of comic catastrophes. The tree falls and wakes Bear, who stumbles into Moose, who causes a truck driver to swerve off the road. But then Squirrel jumps onto that truck and ends up in the city, all alone. Who will help him get home? And how will Squirrel thank them? Kids will love this adorable picture book, with its irresistible animal characters and rhythmic text that’s made for reading out loud.

PreS-Gr 1-It all starts with a tree. A tree and a moose, who rubs its antlers against it. From this action two possibilities arise. One, the tree bends with the motion, or two, it comes crashing down, thus waking up a bear, which results in a pair of new possibilities. This establishes the book's defining pattern. On the front side, nothing really occurs, while on the reverse, the alternative pushes the story forward in a funny chain reaction. In order to break this pattern and end the book, the animals have a party. Even though the arrangement stops, it nicely loops back to the original scene in the forest, now in better shape. The third-person narrator deftly moves from subject to subject in a sort of do-si-do rhythm. While most pages contain only one digitally painted illustration, the narrative flows freely, thanks to some visual foreshadowing, and a consistent alternating layout. Each pair is cleanly separated by a flipped corner with the word "OR" written in blocky, colored font. Due to the premise and its effective technical execution, this book provides a good lesson in cause and effect, and how the tiniest of circumstances can change the outcome of events. VERDICT An amusing either/or story that has a valuable message about actions and consequences.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.