Be Thankful for Trees

Via jaunty rhyming tributes, Ziefert offers up plentiful reasons to be grateful for trees. Seven chapters each open with a statement and question (“A tree is home./ Would life be comfy without trees?”), highlighting plants of many varieties for their roles as food, comfort, music, art, recreation, home, and life. The rhymes sometimes result in repetitious examples and unusual pairings, but they make for an upbeat readaloud (“Paper kites swirling...// Boats floating by...// Tall trees reaching up/ help us see sky”), and Fitzgerald’s confident digital illustrations—stylized with the look of spongy paint and etched lines, and featuring individuals of varying skin tones—embrace Ziefert’s vision simply. Final pages offer a pointed warning about “man-made destruction,” but the book’s overall focus is more squarely on the essential, overlooked roles that trees play. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)