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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

After a brief introduction in which the author guides young children through some of the things to look for when identifying species of leaves (shape, size, edges), he devotes a double-page spread to each of the following trees: smoke tree, birch, gingko, linden, sassafras, hickory, red oak, fern leaf beech, cherry, dogwood, yellow poplar, and maple. While the right-hand side of the page shows the entire tree in full autumn color, the left-hand side shows a life-size color photograph of its corresponding leaves, also as they appear in autumn. The stark white background of each page brilliantly sets off the fall foliage, so that the trees and leaves pictured here are as artistically beautiful as they are in real life. Each page also includes a few lines of text that give some additional information about the particular species of tree or leaf. We learn, for example, that the gingko tree was around in the time of dinosaurs and that the hickory tree has compound leaves, with five or more leaflets making up each leaf. All in all, a treat for young readers, be they budding artists, scientists, or both. (Ages 4-8)

CCBC Choices 1998 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998. Used with permission.