A
Grand Old Tree
Mary
Newell DePalma
Arthur A Levine/ Scholastic
October 2005
ISBN# 0-439-62334-0
Il
etait une fois un arbre
Mary
Newell DePalma
translation by Louise Sasseville
Editions Scholastic
ISBN 0-435-94087-7
This is a lovely french translation, available in Canada!
www.scholastic.ca/editions
School Library Journal
The life cycle of a tree is introduced through deceptively simple text and art. DePalma's short, measured phrases turn facts about a tree's growth, "her" seasonal changes, and the home "she" provides to a variety of creatures into an ode to an often-overlooked part of the natural world.
...Perfect
for storyhour and for beginning readers, this book will make a grand
addition to most collections.
Maura
Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA
Kirkus
Reviews
November
1, 2005
"Once there was a grand old tree." So begins this lovely, spare story of the life cycle of a dogwood tree, with nary a human in sight to sentimentalize (or speed up) the process.
...DePalma's
delicate tissue-paper collage and watercolor illustrations (with miscellaneous
fibers) are winningly
simple and her big-eyed animals are sweetly comical, especially the fruit-munching
squirrel buddies and the fat, leaf-sailing ladybugs. A winsome introduction
to the cycles of life.
(Picture book. 4-8)
Booklist
November
2005
...The
simple text conveys the tree's life and death in a matter-of-fact way,
but with well-chosen words that are
poetic
in the economy of their expression and the precision of their imagery
On one page, words combine with an illustration to form a concrete
poem, with the text forming the shape of the trunk and the ground and
picture representing the tree's crown, the sky, and a bird.Neither
sentimental nor unfeeling, this appealing picture book offers an appreciation
of the cycle of life through a story that is accessible to young children.
Carolyn Phelan
Publisher's
Weekly
Dec
19, 2005
With shades of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, yet devoid of human interference, DePalma's (My Chair) cycle-of-life tale will draw readers in with its breezy, whimsical illustrations and straightforward text.
...The stylized shapes of the watercolor and torn-paper art emanate a carefree, childlike feel, while a gentle but matter-of-fact narrative marches the tale forward. The tree comes to her end in a poignant couple of spreads.
...DePalma
skillfully keeps the bleakness at bay by recounting what the dead tree
continues
to provide (shelter, enriched soil) and reminding readers that the
tree's legacy lives on in her descendants. Older readers may recognize
and appreciate
the metaphor for all life. Ages 4-8.