Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When the white Cooper parents, owners of Coopers' Christmas Tree Farm, welcome daughter Zee, the infant receives a potted Douglas-fir seedling labeled "Zee's Tree." In simple prose, Rusch details Zee's life from birth to age eight, paralleling her yearly milestones with the tree's, the growth of which is bolstered by the compassionate care the child provides: "When summer arrived, Zee outgrew all her clothes. Zee's tree grew, too, reaching a foot higher in just one month!" Facts about Douglas-firs, printed in a smaller font, also feature on intermittent pages ("Douglas-firs enter a period of inactivity in the winter called dormancy"). Hillenbrand's mixed-media illustrations employ a soft, classic picture book style, with dot-eyed human figures in a sweet, friendly palette. Aspiring botanists will welcome this detailed examination of Douglas-firs. Back matter includes an index, holiday tree suggestions, and additional resources. Ages 5--8. (Mar.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--On the day that Zee was born, a Douglas-fir seedling planted on her parents' Christmas tree farm began growing. As Zee grew up and developed, so did the tree. This beautifully designed picture book follows their development, showing readers how Zee and the tree changed and grew over time. For example, when Zee started kindergarten, she adopted a new fashion style. In turn, she shaped the tree and pruned its top and sides the way tree farmers do. When Zee was in the second grade, she lost three teeth. At this time, the tree sprouted new buds at the top and started growing branches. Two levels of text move the narrative along--larger-size font details the story of the girl and the tree and smaller-sized font provides additional information about Douglas-firs. Readers learn about dormancy, how trees keep from freezing in the winter, how farmers can add nutrients to the soil, and that an uncut Douglas-fir can live for hundreds of years and grow more than 300 feet tall. At the same time, the unfolding family story is subtly told through words and illustrations. At the end of the story, readers learn that the tree is ready to become a "holiday tree." The illustrations show that the tree has not been cut down. Instead, Zee has decorated it outside. VERDICT This title is a brilliant combination of storytelling and factual information. The narrative celebrates a caring family and a young girl's growing love of nature. The information adds to readers' understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Highly recommended.--Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
On the day Zee is born, a small shoot emerges in a clay pot on her parents' Christmas tree farm. It is quickly designated as "Zee's Tree," and the two grow up together, with Zee being the tree's primary caregiver. Without a hint of anthropomorphism, Rusch makes targeted comparisons. For example, Zee goes to kindergarten with a new outfit and "new look"; concurrently, her tree gets a pruning. When both the tree and Zee are eight, Zee is big enough to decorate her now-fully-grown Christmas tree all by herself. Hillenbrand's soft-hued mixed-media illustrations not only reflect the text but also clarify and expand the narrative. Small expository notes, set apart from the main text, provide further scientific information. Appended with an index, a bibliography, and instructions for the care of live Christmas trees. Betty Carter November/December 2021 p.26(c) Copyright 2021. 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
A little girl and a Douglas fir grow together on a Christmas tree farm. On the day of Zee's birth, a Douglas-fir seedling, planted by her parents, also sprouts. Zee's parents take care of Zee and her tree, and both "[grow] bigger and stronger." When Zee starts preschool, her tree is transplanted outdoors. As Zee makes new friends and learns the alphabet, her tree experiences new animals and changing weather. On her fourth birthday, Zee is shorter than her classmates and her tree is shorter than other trees, but that summer both have growth spurts. When Zee starts kindergarten, she "[gets] a whole new look," and her tree is pruned into a "perfect cone shape." And on it goes, Rusch's gentle text describing her protagonists' parallel growth. Zee's education continues in first grade, and her tree learns "how to turn a branch into a new treetop." Zee's adult teeth grow in, and her tree sprouts new branches. During a spring and summer drought, Zee, now old enough to take part in its care, faithfully waters her parched tree, going on to mulch it in fall and screen it in winter. By Zee's eighth birthday, her tree is old and tall enough to be a Christmas tree. Informative factual text about Douglas firs and their care accompanies each stage of Zee's and her tree's parallel growth while gentle, realistic illustrations, rendered in soft color washes, visually chronicle their emerging relationship. Zee and her parents present White. A delightful blend of fact and fiction. (index, author's note, bibliography) (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
