Review by Booklist Review
-Gr. 1. A boy and an apple tree grow old together in both Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and in Rosenberry's The Growing-Up Tree. In Rosenberry's story, however, the boy does not ultimately destroy the apple tree with his selfish demands. Instead, young Alfred and the tree give to one another until the day they both die. Children will love the idea of a mother planting an apple seed when her boy is a baby, a seed that grows into a tree just the boy's size at age one and produces its first apple when the boy turns five. The tree offers shade, beauty, a place to climb and sit, and many wonderful apples to eat. The boy offers the tree hugs and a bit of pruning and eventually marries his sweetheart "under fluttery drifts of fragrant pink and white apple blossoms." Two more generations frolic under the beloved tree's branches. Rosenberry's watercolors are vibrant, with a slight surrealism that adds a fairy-tale quality to this lovely, satisfying celebration of the cycles of life. --Karin Snelson Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Alfred's mother is outside rocking him in his cradle when she bites into a delicious apple and decides to plant its seeds. Over the years, the tree and the boy grow, and he reads, paints, sits under its branches, and often climbs up into its limbs. He also cares for the tree, carefully pruning it and gathering its fruit. When Alfred grows up, he marries his sweetheart beneath its blossoms. By the end of the story, he and the tree are both old and withered, and together they enjoy the company of his grandchildren. On a stormy night, Alfred dies, and the tree also perishes, split in half by the wind. However, the circle of life continues as a seed sprouts beneath the shattered trunk. This warm, simple story explores the idea of generations, not only for people, but also for other living things. Brightly colored, full-page watercolor paintings show the characters enjoying the juicy fruit and the beauty of nature. The apples could not be redder, and Alfred is the picture of contentment as he wiles his childhood away beneath the tree's branches. A good addition for picture-book collections, particularly for units on fall and apples.-Leslie Barban, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Alfred's mother plants some apple seeds when he is a baby; when he turns one, his baby apple tree was exactly his height. Following both boy and tree through youth and maturity to death and the continuation of life through their descendants, this book is a gentle portrayal of the cycles of life. Bright watercolor illustrations show Alfred and the tree throughout the seasons. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this Giving Tree-like parable, infant Alfred and his mother seem to float in a sort of fecund and fantastic Eden, rife with less-than-subtle and sometimes disconcerting symbols of fertility. Here, Eve-like, mother tastes the apple that starts it all. The heavy-handed offering features the gouache palette we expect from Rosenberry, bespattered to create textured backgrounds of intense blue and green. Against this, birds and bees frolic, vegetation abounds, and both Alfred and his apple tree mature towards their oh-so-predictable demise. The illustrative distortion and exaggeration that are Rosenberry's trademark, and that in other works seem so winsome, are somehow disturbing here. In particular, children may find the haloed deathbed scene abrupt and upsetting, and ominous, carrion-seeking crows may give them a fright. The lackluster text does little to ameliorate the rather overpowering pictures. Unsettling. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
