This books is amazing! It has the most beautiful illustrations and the idea behind the story is a clever way of showing children the importance of trees in a way they can relate to.The text is poetic and conveys so much information about trees without feeling like a lesson! The idea of likening the structure and functions of a tree to a human body works well, this story successfully gets across the importance of trees and shows how vital they are to us and our world.Felicita Sala’s illustrations...

Beautiful lesson about the wonders of trees.

This book compares the human body and community to the life of a trees. It explores the make up of the human body, and shows the anatomy of a tree, and the 13 sections that make up the tree. Informative and fact filled.

I love trees but this book was a little heavy-handed for me. In an effort to promote conservation and respect for the world of trees, it compares trees to humans and launches into some deep, passionate text that may be a little over children's heads. There was some interesting information and the illustrations are beautiful.

I wrote a poem about a tree this past week for Poetry Friday and found another blogger who shared his favorite books about trees, not only for children but for adults, too. One of those is the new book by Lita Judge, The Wisdom of Trees that I shared last month. And now, this marvelous book is out by Maria Gianferrari about being a tree, knowledge of trees, yes, but also about being a human! With diverse children and adults, Felicita Sala illustrates many science-based concepts that Maria conne

Become a better person by being more like the trees.

A poetic celebration of trees as one of nature’s greatest creations with clever comparisons to humans and gentle suggestion of how trees can inspire us to be better people.

Perfect for learning about the interconnectedness of trees (and people)! A lovely book to share with a classroom and/or family members. Terrific backmatter to encourage readers to get involved in the conservation of trees. 💚💙🤎

Very interesting book! This made me look at trees in a whole new way- as a family that takes care of each other!

Really stunning illustrations. Acceptable "story" line (not really a story as it is more a book of affirmations).

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...BE A TREE! is an intriguing picture book that compares people to trees. This extended metaphor compared the ways that we and trees share information and resources. The poetic writing is accompanied by full-page, whimsical illustrations featuring trees and children.What I loved: This was an interesting concept in comparing the ways that humans and trees can be similar. The writing has a lovely rhythm to it, and the illustrations are...

I loved how multi-faceted this book was. The first half was so kinesthetic- you could easily read this to your class if students needed a grounding moment, or if students needed to stretch. Reading this story reminded me quite a bit of my morning yoga. Then, the second half of the book moved on from the individual to the community, and how we are stronger together. Maria Gianferrari drew some really amazing parallels between people and trees, on both levels. I immediately saw myself using this s...

The author shows us how to be better humans by being like a tree. I love the concept and the first 2/3 of this book, and finally, the awesome tree factoids, but the Author stops letting her simple but effective comparisons between tree and people tell the story, and instead lets message take over. What she has to say about community and are shared ecosystem is right on but I wish she'd kept it less heavy handed.

Inspired by German forester Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees , American picture-book author Maria Gianferrari explores the communal life of our arboreal friends in this work of natural history for younger children. Her simple text describing the anatomy and behavior of trees, and comparing these arboreal beings with humans, is paired with beautiful artwork from Australian/Italian illustrator Felicita Sala. The book closes with an author's note, a list of suggestions for helping tree...

Gorgeously illustrated. Lyrically written. This book draws beautiful parallels between human beings and trees, as individuals and in communities. There's also back matter with additional resources and specifics about tree anatomy, how kids can help save trees, and how they can help in their communities. Great book!

Pretty and inspiring book that both educates young readers about trees and suggests ways they can help and support those around them--much like the way a forest operates.

Strongly influenced by Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees, Gianferrari’s wonderful book explores the connections between people and trees. When she writes “We talk, share food, divide resources, alert each other to danger”, she could be talking about humans, but is actually referring to recent research showing how trees are interconnected (see Suzanne Simard’s book, Finding the Mother Tree). A great book to read to young children and discuss. The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil d...

I wanted to like this more than I actually ended up liking it. The metaphor is a bit heavy handed and drawn out. The illustrations are fantastic though and there is a lot of information about trees. I was a little confused about the inclusion of the "immigrant tree." I understand it from the comparison of humans to trees and how we should include immigrants but I feel like it doesn't quite work with plants because when plants/trees that are not native to an area are introduced, it can harm the e...

Beautiful leaf silhouette endpapers.Compares a humans to trees. "Stand tall, stretch your branches to the sun..." Then tells how trees make communities, make habitats, sustain ecosystems and encourages people to be like trees - protecting each other and sharing resources.Author's Note tells how The Hidden Life of Trees inspired this book. Shares 5 ways to help save trees. How to help your community and Provides a 2 page anatomy of a tree. Further readings, viewings and websites also suggested.

The paper quality is super smooth and the watercolors are amazing! This is an inspirational read about helping each other out. I like the metaphor of humans being like trees and together we are like a forest. In the back, the author gives advice on how to act like a tree in your community (such as volunteering at a shelter, creating first aid kits, etc.). I've heard of some schools celebrating Kindness Day so maybe this could be a book for that day, or for Arbor Day or Earth Day.