There Was a Tree
The popular folk song “And the Green Grass Grew All Around” gets a new setting in this lively picture book with bright, clear, colorful collage double-page spreads that show a small boy with his mother in the African savanna, pointing at a hole in the ground, a spreading acacia tree, a branch, and a nest. On each uncluttered spread, Isadora includes an African animal: a giraffe appears by the branch; a lion stands with her cub; a vervet monkey looks at a nest; butterflies fly overhead; and a chick hatches out of its egg. In a final scene, two kids stand under the tree, pointing at a gorgeous glowing sunset. The colorful borders include pieces of bright Kente cloth along with bands of geometric designs. For the cumulative chorus on each spread, Isadora uses rebus icons, which are explained in a final list, and she also includes sheet music and the full text at the back. This lively new version of a story hour standard will appeal to young preschoolers as well as to older kids on the cusp of reading. Preschool-Grade 1. --Hazel Rochman