Thank You, Trees!

Tu B’Shevat is the Jewish Arbor Day, and families can celebrate its message with this charming and colorful board book for youngest readers. Karwoski (Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark) teams with educator Gootman to provide easy-to-say (or repeat) rhymes (“Recycle paper,/ Show you care./ Weed and water./ Do your share”). Collage-style illustrations by Balouch (The King and the Three Thieves) brighten the book. The lines and shapes she uses are expressive and energetic, and her illustrations are packed with birds and other outdoor critters, as well as a multicultural complement of children. The simple lesson will stick, and trees can be thanked almost all year round, from sticky green spring to the last leaf of fall. Tu B’Shevat will next be celebrated Jan. 26, 2013. Ages 1–4. (Jan.)