My Life as an Oak Tree (My Life Cycle)

All in all, a well-conceived guide to oak trees and the plant life cycle in general.

Gr 1-2--Beautifully expressive illustrations display the life cycles of featured organisms from seed or birth into adulthood and continuing life. Each title works to bridge emerging readers through a mix of picture book art styles and richer sentence structures found in early chapter books. Readers step into each life to see how the subject is born, eats, and grows over time with a stylized titular host leading the way. The peeks inside acorns and eggs as they grow are fascinating. VERDICT Elementary aged students will delight in the familiar style and amusing characters, while educators will enjoy the ease with which these titles introduce the building blocks of life.

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In this entry of the My Life Cycle series (4 titles), a friendly neighborhood oak tree, slightly anthropomorphized with a face and fingertipped branches, walks readers through its life cycle, from acorn to full-grown oak. The tree's conversational voice, narrating in the first person, is inviting, making an accessible vehicle for the series of oak facts. There is no shortage of puns as readers learn the basics of fruiting, germination, photosynthesis (though this term is omitted), and the various stages of life—always related in familiar human terms—plus interesting oak-tree trivia. Pang's bright artwork centers the smiling tree and utilizes spot art to hop from subject to subject. Pertinent vocabulary terms are set in boldface, with a glossary and index adding support. All in all, a well-conceived guide to oak trees and the plant life cycle in general.—Ronny Khuri "Booklist"