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One Small Place in a Tree
Deep in the forest . . . A bear sharpens her claws on a tree trunk. The scratched bark chips; a tiny hole forms. Timber beetles tunnel inside. The hole grows bigger and bigger. In lyrical prose, Barbara Brenner reveals the fascinating happenings in one small place. She explains how, over many years, the rough hole transforms into a cozy hollow -- home to salamanders, tree frogs, a family of white-footed mice. Tom Leonard’s absorbing illustrations take you beneath the bark to a hidden world. His warm, lifelike depictions of squirrels and bluebirds, snakes and spiders show the splendor that dwells in the most unexpected places. So stop. Observe. Explore your natural world. If you look closely enough, you will surely find . . . one small place that is home for something.
Library Binding
First published March 16, 2004
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About the author
Barbara Brenner
109 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Barbara Brenner is a respected, award-winning author, specializing in works of both juvenile fiction and nonfiction educational material that deals with animals, nature, and ecology. Her interests range from the natural world (i.e. Thinking about Ants) to American history (e.g. Wagon Wheels), all of which are reflected in the wide scope of her work. Brenner discussed with Contemporary Authors Online her influences and how they have affected her literary career, concluding that “all the circumstances of my life conspired to make me a writer--just lucky, I guess.”
Brenner was born Barbara Lawrence on June 26, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, to Robert Lawrence (a real estate broker) and Marguerite (Furboter) Johnes. Tragically, her mother died when Brenner was just a year old, and, according to Brenner, this has been a large influence on her career, with Contemporary Authors Online showing how this has added a certain level of “sensitivity” to her work. She also defines Brooklyn as a place which gave much “color” to her work, and where her father’s ambitions for her helped to develop Brenner’s intellectual curiosity.
Brenner attended Seton Hall College (now University) and Rutgers University from 1942-46, whilst also working as a copy editor at Prudential Insurance Co. from 1942 – 46. Her freelance work as an artist’s agent prepared her for a literary life, as after the birth of her two children she began work on her first book Somebody’s Slippers, Somebody’s Shoes, published in 1957. She followed this book with an educational picture book entitled Barto Takes the Subway, designed to improve reading comprehension and sight vocabulary.
Her artistic development continued when she began to collaborate with her husband, illustrator Fred Brenner, on The Flying Patchwork Quilt. Her next book, On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, was selected by School Library Journal as “The Best of the Best” among children’s books published over 26 seasons. In a review of On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, Paul Showers wrote in the New York Times Book Review that “Brenner again demonstrates her gift for invention and respect for facts . . . [it is] written in the polite but colloquial language of the frontier sketching in Audubon’s biographical background and recording events of the journey as they might have been observed by a serious, very perceptive 13- year-old.” One of her best-selling titles was Wagon Wheels (published in 1978), which deals with the trials and tribulations of a close-knit African American family. This true to life story is “exciting and realistic” according to Gisela Jernigan (writing in the children literature journal Booklist), and was named a 1978 American Library Association Notable Book.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Brenner continued to publish, many of her works being influenced by the careers and interests of her sons. Speaking to Contemporary Authors Online Brenner explains that as their sons are both grown, and their respective careers as a “biologist . . . and musician” have both had an influence on her writing (i.e. Dinosaurium 1993). In 1986, Brenner was honored with the Pennsylvania School Librarians’ Association’s Outstanding Pennsylvania Author Award. Brenner’s most celebrated book is a collection entitled Voices: Poetry and Art from around the World, for which she was chief editor. This book received an ALA Notable Book for Children mention and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults award. According to the Horn Book Guide from Spring 2001, “more than three hundred and fifty poems from six continents evoke the specific and the universal” with contributions from both “celebrated and unknown poets, Nobel prize winners, and children” allowing the book to demonstrate Brenner’s skill in celebrating “place” and the “shared feelings” of the people about whom the book is written.
Barbara Brenner is a respected, award-winning author, specializing in works of both juvenile fiction and nonfiction educational material that deals with animals, nature, and ecology. Her interests range from the natural world (i.e. Thinking about Ants) to American history (e.g. Wagon Wheels), all of which are reflected in the wide scope of her work. Brenner discussed with Contemporary Authors Online her influences and how they have affected her literary career, concluding that “all the circumstances of my life conspired to make me a writer--just lucky, I guess.”
Brenner was born Barbara Lawrence on June 26, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, to Robert Lawrence (a real estate broker) and Marguerite (Furboter) Johnes. Tragically, her mother died when Brenner was just a year old, and, according to Brenner, this has been a large influence on her career, with Contemporary Authors Online showing how this has added a certain level of “sensitivity” to her work. She also defines Brooklyn as a place which gave much “color” to her work, and where her father’s ambitions for her helped to develop Brenner’s intellectual curiosity.
Brenner attended Seton Hall College (now University) and Rutgers University from 1942-46, whilst also working as a copy editor at Prudential Insurance Co. from 1942 – 46. Her freelance work as an artist’s agent prepared her for a literary life, as after the birth of her two children she began work on her first book Somebody’s Slippers, Somebody’s Shoes, published in 1957. She followed this book with an educational picture book entitled Barto Takes the Subway, designed to improve reading comprehension and sight vocabulary.
Her artistic development continued when she began to collaborate with her husband, illustrator Fred Brenner, on The Flying Patchwork Quilt. Her next book, On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, was selected by School Library Journal as “The Best of the Best” among children’s books published over 26 seasons. In a review of On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, Paul Showers wrote in the New York Times Book Review that “Brenner again demonstrates her gift for invention and respect for facts . . . [it is] written in the polite but colloquial language of the frontier sketching in Audubon’s biographical background and recording events of the journey as they might have been observed by a serious, very perceptive 13- year-old.” One of her best-selling titles was Wagon Wheels (published in 1978), which deals with the trials and tribulations of a close-knit African American family. This true to life story is “exciting and realistic” according to Gisela Jernigan (writing in the children literature journal Booklist), and was named a 1978 American Library Association Notable Book.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Brenner continued to publish, many of her works being influenced by the careers and interests of her sons. Speaking to Contemporary Authors Online Brenner explains that as their sons are both grown, and their respective careers as a “biologist . . . and musician” have both had an influence on her writing (i.e. Dinosaurium 1993). In 1986, Brenner was honored with the Pennsylvania School Librarians’ Association’s Outstanding Pennsylvania Author Award. Brenner’s most celebrated book is a collection entitled Voices: Poetry and Art from around the World, for which she was chief editor. This book received an ALA Notable Book for Children mention and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults award. According to the Horn Book Guide from Spring 2001, “more than three hundred and fifty poems from six continents evoke the specific and the universal” with contributions from both “celebrated and unknown poets, Nobel prize winners, and children” allowing the book to demonstrate Brenner’s skill in celebrating “place” and the “shared feelings” of the people about whom the book is written.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 22, 2025
Excellent. I love this book. It follows the condition and activity attached to a hole in the tree. It starts with a bear using the tree for scratching post and scratching it with his paws. It then explains how the scratches attract insects, and how they build in inside the bark which weakens it. Other animals continue to use the whole as shelter. It explains how that happens and finally the tree falls in the forest and yet the hole is still used.
The reason I love this book is that it clearly and simply shows how flora and Fauna in a forest interact and support each other. It's interesting. The illustrations are very clear at conveying the author's meaning.
I would love to pick up at the end of this book and explain further how the tree decays while interacting with more creatures in the forest. Somewhere I have seen a book that was exactly that. If I can find it again, I'll add it to this review .
This is a wonderful book. 4-8 years old, grades K-3
Book at Schimelpfenig Library
The reason I love this book is that it clearly and simply shows how flora and Fauna in a forest interact and support each other. It's interesting. The illustrations are very clear at conveying the author's meaning.
I would love to pick up at the end of this book and explain further how the tree decays while interacting with more creatures in the forest. Somewhere I have seen a book that was exactly that. If I can find it again, I'll add it to this review .
This is a wonderful book. 4-8 years old, grades K-3
Book at Schimelpfenig Library
August 12, 2021
The kids agreed that their rating of this was a 5. I probably would have gone with a 4, but I’m glad they loved it and I am not the target audience. Really great artwork. The first picture after the cover page looks JUST like the road that passes by the cabin in Sundance Utah where we have an annual family reunion and have been on nature walks since they were tiny. The book gives information through hypotheticals on how a tree might get a hole in it over time and die, and what animals might be using the tree and how.
September 23, 2018
Picture- This book talks about living and dead trees. It also talks about all the animals that live in the holes in the trees.
May 2, 2019
A beautiful picture book about the importance of dead and dying trees to wildlife. Perfect for a small budding nature lover.
July 8, 2021
Interesting informational fiction book that explains how a tree might get a hole in its trunk, and the life that finds this hole to be a perfect home or shelter.
June 1, 2023
Very simple book that describes the many uses of a "hole" in a tree and reminds us how things that are decayed or dying can still be useful!! Simple but detailed illustrations.
January 9, 2025
A very straightforward narrative of how holes can form in a tree, and their importance in the ecosystem. Read for our homeschool science.
November 13, 2008
Leo like it and it was read it while he was learning about habitats and constructing a diorama. Very interesting about tree life.
read-school
April 13, 2009Good nonfiction exploration of a tree and all that live inside the tree.
December 23, 2010
Really good science book for young children if you're teaching about trees.
January 23, 2011
Great science book that explains how a hole might get in a tree... really great book!
July 29, 2011
A great story that would fit right in with habitats.
Read
April 18, 2012Grade Level: 3
This is an informative literature book that students can enjoy reading and at the same time learn some important facts about the habitats of various animals.
This is an informative literature book that students can enjoy reading and at the same time learn some important facts about the habitats of various animals.
February 18, 2014
An interesting second person account of the formation of holes in trees and their importance to forest ecosystems.
March 24, 2014
Notes:
a non-fiction book that reads like a story instead of an encyclopedia entry; although it's a great book "The Gift of a Tree" by Alvin Tresselt on this same subject is much better
a non-fiction book that reads like a story instead of an encyclopedia entry; although it's a great book "The Gift of a Tree" by Alvin Tresselt on this same subject is much better
March 7, 2015
Today must be nonfiction narrative day because this is another great book! I love the pictures! I love the story! Great book about animals, trees and life cycles!
February 2, 2020
Great book about how tree hollows are formed and why trees, both alive and dead, play an important role in the eco-system.
Read
August 7, 2018This book is a good introduction to forest animals. It shows animals that live in the holes of trees. It has good illustrations of beetles, birds, trees without leaves, a squirrel, a frog and a salamander. It's nonfiction but reads like a storybook.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews