Zee Grows a Tree
by ELIZABETH RUSCH & WILL HILLENBRAND
Candlewick Press (March 23, 2021)
KINDERGARTEN-GRADE 4
On the morning little Zee Cooper is born, a Douglas-fir seedling emerges from the nursery bed at her family’s Christmas tree farm. As she and the tree grow up together, they experience many of the same milestones. When she starts preschool, her tree is ready to start life outside the nursery. As she outgrows all her clothes, her tree grows taller, too. When Zee gets a whole new look for Kindergarten, her tree gets a spiffy transformation as well. And as the years go on, she takes loving care of her tree, watering it through heat waves and protecting it from winter winds.
Combining interesting details about how trees are grown and cared for on a farm with the sweet story of a friendship between a girl and her special tree, Zee Grows a Tree offers a blend of fiction and nonfiction that will draw the interest of young nature lovers everywhere. In the back of the book, readers will find an index, bibliography, and an author’s note suggesting some ways to enjoy a holiday tree without cutting one down.
Look Inside
Gold Standard Selection
Junior Library Guild
Selected in the top 3% of 5000+ manuscripts reviewed by JLG editorial staff
Nonfiction Early Elementary Plus
Choose to Read Ohio
2023-24
Books for Young Children
Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) is a project of the State Library of Ohio and the Ohioana Library Association, in collaboration with the Ohio Center for the Book and Ohio’s libraries. CTRO encourages public libraries, schools, families, and others to build a community of readers and an appreciation of Ohio authors, illustrators, and literature.
ZEE GROWS A TREE
has been named a
Bank Street Best Book of 2022!
Chosen by the Children’s Book Committee as the best of the best published in 2021. In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes. Each book accepted for the list is read and reviewed by at least two committee members and then discussed by the committee as a whole.
PRAISE
This beautifully designed picture book follows their development, showing readers how Zee and the tree changed and grew over time… This title is a brilliant combination of storytelling and factual information. The narrative celebrates a caring family and a young girl’s growing love of nature. The information adds to readers’ understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Highly recommended.
- School Library Journal (starred review)
A delightful blend of fact and fiction. - Kirkus Reviews
Hillenbrand's mixed-media illustrations employ a soft, classic picture book style, with dot-eyed human figures in a sweet, friendly palette. -
Publishers Weekly
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Book Trailer
