Who Will Plant a Tree?

How easy is it to plant a tree? The animals in this breezy book do it without even trying. Seeds stuck to the messy fur of an apple-eating black bear. The bear tripped, a seed fell off, and he planted an apple tree! Monkeys plant fig trees by throwing figs at each other, and in the Amazon River, fish poop does the trick. Leonard's soft illustrations provide an engaging naturalistic setting, but the takeaway message is just how simple it is to plant a tree. Ages 3-7. "(Mar.)" Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2. "I wonder who will plant a tree?" begins this glowingly illustrated meditation on the interconnectedness of Earth's creatures. Each spread features an animal in a different habitat that, by simply going about its everyday activities, unknowingly plants a tree. A squirrel buries an acorn, a dolphin playfully pushes a coconut onto an island beach, ants march a pine nut into their tunnel, and an owl eats a mouse that had dined on an elm tree seed, then coughs up a pellet that puts that seed back into the ground. The range of habitats and animals shown is impressive, from monkeys throwing figs in the jungle to Amazon River fish excreting seeds from their fruit dinners. Pallotta makes a point of including humans, too, as a teacher and her class plant trees on a field trip. With simple, rhythmic language and engaging illustrations, this book encourages readers to see how the actions of each creature impact the Earth. An excellent accompaniment to science lessons."Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD" Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.