Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. From the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, this reillustrated book on the science of trees is well designed for preschool and early-primary-grade children. The text, from the 1960 edition of the book, follows an apple plant from seed to sprout to tree, including the development of blossoms, leaves, and fruit. The functions of roots, trunk, branches, and leaves are also discussed, as well as the seasonal changes in the tree. Schuett's colorful paintings clearly illustrate topics explained in the text, while their pleasing colors, rounded forms, and small, playful animals will help keep children involved in the topic. The last spread includes a simple activity--a way of estimating the age of a tree--and a few suggested books on trees and plants. A good starting place for understanding trees. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A newly illustrated version of a 1960 publication. Although the title and beginning pages indicate a broad look at trees, the focus is on the apple tree. Through impressionistic paintings and a simple text, the book describes its seasonal cycle. Bulla discusses the parts of the tree and their functions without complex explanations of the mechanisms involved in fruit formation, photosynthesis, etc. "The blossoms last only a few days.-The apples are where the blossoms were before." Concepts such as water intake are emphasized with arrows indicating its route within the plant. The charming paintings, many of which are full-page and large enough for comfortable group sharing, depict numerous outdoor scenes peopled by children of various ethnic backgrounds. An appended section includes instructions for a transpiration experiment and suggests a method for measuring the age of a tree. Gail Saunders-Smith's Apple Trees (Bridgestone, 1998), illustrated with photos, also takes a seasonal approach, but it has a more controlled vocabulary and contains much less information than Bulla's book. Saunders-Smith's From Blossom to Fruit (Pebble, 1998) is exclusively about apple formation, with a very simplified vocabulary and close-up color photos.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ (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
With bright new illustrations, this book offers an accurate description of the growth and development of an apple tree from a single seed, though the short, often repetitive sentences sometimes cloud instead of clarify the information. The effects of different seasons and weather systems are discussed, and a brief experiment is appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (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
Glowing new illustrations featuring a multiracial cast of children adorn this classic "Let's Read and Find Out Science" primer, first published in 1960. Using plain language and short sentences, Bulla follows an apple tree from seed to maturity, introducing readers to leaves, flowers, branches, roots, and fruits-all of which are depicted in thickly brushed but recognizable detail in Schuett's (Night Lights, 2000, etc.) outdoorsy scenes. It's a staid but still useful introduction, and budding botanists will "Find Out" more from the two experiments and a short reading list at the end. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
