A Tree for Me

by Nancy Van Laan

In simple rhyme, Nancy Van Laan tells the joyous story of a child looking for a tree to call his own. He climbs five trees and discovers them occupied by everything from one owl nesting to five spiders spinning, until at last he finds the tree that's perfect for him . . . right in his own backyard! Told from a child's perspective, this engaging book has many it's a counting book, a book of concepts, and a point-and-say book, and it also shows every child's desire to explore the big, wide world and know that the comfort of home is close at hand. Bold, graphic illustrations add to the fun, making this a great choice for young audiences.

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

32 pages, Library Binding

First published April 4, 2000

About the author

Nancy Van Laan was born in Baton Rouge, La. Her father was a colonel in the US Air Force, and the family moved frequently as Van Laan was growing up. She began making up stories to pass the time on long car trips. Although Van Laan had a learning disability, she loved to read. She began drawing and writing poetry as a child and enjoyed illustrating her own stories. Van Laan also loved ballet and began taking lessons at the age of nine. By age seventeen, she had her own ballet company in Birmingham that performed on a weekly program broadcast on Alabama Educational TV (now Alabama Public Television). Van Laan’s dancing career ended after an injury she sustained as a student at Sullins College in Bristol, Va. After completing her AA degree at Sullins, she enrolled at the University of Alabama, earning her BA in radio and television in 1961.

Van Laan moved to New York after college. She worked briefly at an advertising company and then joined ABC-TV where she worked as a network censor from 1962 to 1966. Van Laan began writing at this time and also studied art. After her first two children were born, she resigned from ABC and began painting professionally, creating murals for schools and private clients. She earned an MFA in theater from Rutgers University in 1979 and wrote two plays which were performed regionally. Van Laan moved to eastern Pennsylvania where she taught English at a private boarding school from 1984 to 1989. She also taught creative writing at Rutgers from 1986 to 1989. Van Laan published her first book, The Big Fat Worm, in 1987. Two years later, she left teaching to write full time. Since then, Van Laan has published over two dozen books. One of these, Rainbow Crow, was featured on the PBS television series Reading Rainbow. Van Laan lives and writes in Doylestown, Pa.

Reviews

[Cindy Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Tree for Me” written by Nancy Van Laan and illustrated by Sheila White Samton (Copyright 2000, Alfred A. Knopf Inc.) is the story of a young boy’s search for the perfect tree to climb. Told in rhyme, with repetitive stanzas that make it a great read-aloud, this counting story follows along with the boy as he chooses to climb each of five trees, only to discover that he’s “mistaken, they’re already taken” by an owl, two possums, three inchworms, four squirrels, and five spiders. Returning home, he soon finds the perfect tree in his own yard and settles down for a nap. Colorful, kid-friendly illustrations are the perfect vehicle to carry readers on this fun adventure. This review was originally published as part of my "Picture Book Favorites About Trees" blog post at www.cindyovercast.com.

[Stasia Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome and so loved in our house with my preschoolers! The rhyme and the repetition are so much fun, and they say the repeating lines with me. Plus there’s counting to 5 which is great for my toddler to learn. This is an absolute favorite and I highly recommend it for the 2-4 age in particular!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A repetitive rhythmic text tells the story of a boy trying to find a tree to climb that is not already occupied by various animals and insects. Cute

[Jason]

Quite a while back, I tried to write music to the text of this story, but I didn't really like the way it turned out.

[Ryan Treaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great book for children who are learning rhyme. Throughout the book, the child is looking for a tree to call his own . All through the book the author uses rhyme to help children understand it.

Reading Level- Emergent
Curricular uses- Independent reading
Literary elements- Great book for helping children understand rhyme.

[GlenGG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Nancy Van Laan! Her books have such great rhythm. This one is repetitive that it's fun to read to young children over and over because they can pick up on the repetition and join in on the reading fun.

[William Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hits a variety of content areas. There is rhyming, word patterns, and counting. The pictures are bright and colorful, and the simple story will keep kids into the story no matter how many times you read it.

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[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a great one for Arbor Day, Earth Day, or any day that you want a simple engaging rhyme that celebrates the tree house in your favorite tree refuge.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child climbs five different trees, looking for a place to hide and finding an increasing number of animals already in residence, until finally the perfect tree is found

[Morgan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda liked this book. It repeating the same words and then I got bored.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect storytime read

[Esodhiambo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tree
Rhyming
Counting

Primary

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book! Although, I think Mommy likes it a little better than I do!

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun numbers book that takes place in the trees.