This Is the Tree We Planted

A single deciduous tree is the focal point of the children who planted it and the creatures who interact within its canopy in this cumulative story with a “This Is the House That Jack Built” construction. McMullan’s first-person narration skews declarative and conversational as children with varying skin tones remark upon the busy scene they observe: “Look at that squirrel with a thrashing tail/ race by the robin/ that laid the eggs/ inside the nest/ that rests in the tree we planted.” Later observations spotlight birds, insects, mammals, and a reptile, all carefully depicted in Friend’s soft-edged mixed-media illustrations, which largely look upward into the tree’s green foliage. A final scene of the children picnicking beneath crimson leaves reveals that their arboreal adventures have taken place over multiple seasons in this rhythmic read that stresses the interconnectedness of nature. Ages 4–7. (Feb.)