The Busy Tree

by Jennifer Ward, Lisa Falkenstern (Illustrator)

The many different types of wildlife that live in and around a tree show its a busy life in this picture book for ages 5-8.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Storytime, Childrens, Science, Poetry

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jennifer Ward is the author of more than 25 award-winning nonfiction and fiction books for children and adults.

Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.

Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.

She writes full-time from her home in Illinois where she lives with her husband and two dogs and is easily distracted by everything outside of her windows - particularly if it has feathers!

Reviews

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* art
3* story

I liked this more than Squirt, I'm sure, but what the heck, I'm the reader, I matter too. All the life on one tree - awesome.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every minute of this book. From the magnificent illustrations to the simple, sweet story, I was captured. Told in memorable rhyme, this story serves to educate children that trees are more than leaves and branches. They are homes to chipmunks, squirrels, ants, spiders, woodpeckers, owls, birds, and cocoons. Not only are trees living, but they support life and give us the necessities of life. In the end, we are all one with the tree and with nature. Even the children that were featured seem to grow older as they picnicked under the spectacular tree. The book emphasized that trees breathe just like we do.

As a learning extension, I would like to have the children list the things that they like most about trees, if they have a favorite tree in their yard or someone else’s, and have them go home and ask their parents the same question. Then, they could draw the tree showing what all life lives in it and how it supports life outside of the tree.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

If all you see when you look at a tree is leaves, branches, and bark, look again. This beautifully illustrated book shows a child how many of earth's creatures benefit from trees. "I'm a tree, a busy tree...come and see." We go below the ground to see the tree's roots and we see how its acorns nourish chimunks. We see how ants, spiders, birds, squirrels and people benefit from the tree's bark, branches and leaves. A nice introduction to nature.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book, partly because of my tree obsession and partly because it is a simple but poignant look at one of nature's most beautiful creations.

Most people look at a tree as something that stands, provides shade, and can cause a lot of damage when falling. However, they are so much more. They are home to creatures, playgrounds for children, and the source of the very air we breathe.

The illustrations are magnificent and add vivid images to the short couplets.

[Jess Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this sweet, rhyming picture book is its impressive illustrations. These oil paintings are so life-like and delicate (and inspired by the illustrator's surroundings in wooded western New Jersey. The story follows a tree and many of the animals, insects, and life forms that depend on it throughout the seasons. Best for preschool or early-elementary kids.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations! This colorful book reminds youngsters that it's not "just a tree"--it's a busy community providing food, shelter, and amusement to many living things.

[Aisha Elwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

With beautiful painted illustrations, this book is a beautifully simple story about a tree and all the things it holds amongst its many branches and leaves. The book less so attempts to create a certain plot or narrative and instead encourages children to take a closer look the next time they see a tree at all the kinds of creatures and insects it houses. Just as nature overall is often presented in books or poetry as a sentient being itself, the same is true for the tree portrayed in this story; it is depicted as a gentle but greatly aware being of itself and everything that interacts with it. As a result, nature as it is depicted here is displayed as something to take a closer look at and to marvel at. This is also encouraged by the way the book is set up visually, as instead of it being like usual picture books, beyond the illustrations of the tree branches and creatures, the background is kept blank white space, making it so that this tree is the sole focus of the reader’s attention and allowing the smaller details of each page come to the forefront, as there is nothing else to look at on the page. This unique stylistic choice, however, may at the same time be the book’s only major flaw, because Perry Nodelman specifically notes in his essay about children’s literature and its conventions that children actually have the tendency to scan the entirety of a picture (Nodelman 5) equally. So while the background may have been left blank so that the only thing to be focused on was exactly what the artist intends for the viewer to see, it may actually work against the average young reader, who likely enjoys looking at an entire image and noticing its smaller details. The blank white of the background also reduces the realism of the images, making the book less immersive than it could be. Regardless, though, the book is undeniably still a wonderful, calming read.

[Michael Lausche · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story about a tree, and it's ongoing features inside and outside of it. It has a rhythmical pattern of story telling about what a tree consists of, talking about it's actual roots to animals/insects living on it. One thing I did notice about the illustrations were a lot of white space on a lot of the pages. This made me less interested in seeing what was going on in the illustrations, due to lack of detail. Some of the pages contained great detail and work to help the reader get a great visual on what was going on in the story. Here is a quote from the book that I loved, but contained lack of detail in the illustration,"Hear my green leaves as they shake in the wind, breathing out air for all to breath in." The picture contained a lot of white space, but if were corrected to more nature around it, it would have created a more sentimental visual. I recommend this book for children ages Kindergarten-1st grade.

[Ersa S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this for a potential toddler storytime and it would be perfect! The sentences are short, simple, and rhyme (which is so much fun!), and the illustrations are crisp and vibrant making it very easy for little eyes to see what is going on and to identify the various images.

I was a little skeptical of the sectioning off of the images, for example, the bird's nest not being attached to the tree, just sort of free floating on the page, but when I looked at it from a three year old's perspective I understood it was to help them with the concept of the nest alone. Much easier for little kids to digest the information that way.

Absolutely wonderful!

[Lindsey Wingfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: I gave this 3 stars because of the rhyming throughout each page. The artistic element helps show the focus of what they are going to talk about in the text. The text is little but gives little information. So I think more could be added.

Summary: It describes what a tree does for others. The tree is a home for birds, owls and spiders. and a sidewalk and playground for squirrels. What the leaves do such as creating oxygen. Even the tree allows children to play on their swing that's connected to their branches. when you plant a seed into the ground it grows into a tree.

[Lgordo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, as did my kids. It balances on that lovely venn diagram intersection between educational, easy to read, enjoyable to listen to, and beautiful to look at.

I read it to a preschool class along with "A Tree is Nice" by Udry. Both books have a similar theme (the role of trees) but very different focus (Udry focuses on the role of trees for people). The Busy Tree is about the role a tree plays in nature. It encourages kids to see the tree as part of the ecosystem.

[Breonna Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward is a children's picture book that celebrates the life and activity surrounding a single tree throughout the year. The story explores the creatures that live in and around the tree, such as birds, squirrels, insects, and more. Each page shows a different aspect of the tree's busy life, highlighting how various animals interact with the tree for shelter, food, or a place to rest.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need a book for Arbor Day? Want to teach about how intertwined animals, insects and trees are? Do you have students who are going to a park to look at nature? Read this book. From the perspective of the tree, this book introduces children to the whole tree and everyone who relies on it for survival. The illustrations are beautiful and very realistic.

[Emily Simcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a sense of poetry about it while also being informative and teaching readers about parts of a tree and ecosystems. Teachers could use this story while teaching a science lesson. I also like that there are words to expand children's vocabulary in the science content area, like hollow and boughs.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming couplets about all the wonderful things a tree does…Chipmunks munch on the acorns, spiders spin webs in the bark, woodpeckers search the bark for food, an owl lives in a hole, squirrels run on branches, bird nests, moth cocoons, making oxygen, shade for playing in…

[Dylan Coomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start off this book has amazing illustrations that really bring out the story and keep the reader entertained throughout the book. It is rare to see this style of art in children’s books, especially one that is almost a science lesson, definitely a good read.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be a staple read aloud in our house, such beautiful illustrations and lovely text. Owen LOVES books about animals and there were plenty of things for the little ones to look at and recognize too.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for anyone who appreciates nature. Short and sweet for bedtime and thoroughly lovely.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful picture book about the activities that occur from various animals who use the tree. A day in the life of a tree. I am using this for a story time.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book! Loved its focus on how a tree affects the animals in its habitat!

[Carrie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great book that the kids enjoyed listening to. Also, the illustrations in this book are so stunning.

[Melissa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good autumn/science read

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 3.0

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was good, but the illustrations are what pulled this up to a 4. Beautiful!

[MotherofReaders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this sweet, poetic nature story. My daughters tastes are narrower at the moment so she was less drawn to it, but we will check it out again.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text describe what lives in the busy tree, along with a peak at the tree life cycle as children are shown planting a seed, readers get to watch it grow.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful realistic art!

[Naman Tomar · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like this app

[Sabrina Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story about the generational life of a tree and the ecosystem it creates. Great book to talk about plants and climate change.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The impact one tree has on many different creatures.

Storytime:
Trees
Nature
Woodland Animals