The things that I love about trees include such things as they give you shade; they can give you fruit like apples and oranges and peaches. They give you the sap that makes real maple syrup! They can be a great place to put a swing. They are homes to critters, birds and insects. They are a very unique kind of plant.
And in The Things That I Love about Trees by Chris Butterworth (illustrated by Charlotte Voake) shows you these things and more. It shows how each season has its own uniqueness to love about trees: spring buds, wind in the leaves during the summer, the rich fall colors and winter with the rough bark and then the hope of coming right back to spring. The text is basic with poetic overtones. There are also facts about trees in “side notes” to the main story. This allows the reader to not only enjoy a simple story, but they can grow with it as well. Not to mention, if their interest is engaged, they can also go on to learn about trees with other great books.
Butterworth has a variety of educational books. Some are like trees where there is a story and fact together and some are just facts. And Voake’s memorable illustrations make this one more to add to the homeruns in her list of titles. These illustrations match the text perfectly.
In a nutshell trees are amazing and The Things That I Love about Trees will leaf you wanting more.