Regarding the Trees: A Splintered Saga Rooted in Secrets
Grade 4-6–Readers with patience, and perhaps a penchant for detail, may appreciate this latest offering from the author and illustrator ofRegarding the Fountain(Avon, 1998) andRegarding the Sink(Harcourt, 2004). While the principal is simply looking for someone to trim some trees at Geyser Creek Middle School, a misunderstanding and clever rhetorical spin-offs take readers on a winding journey that includes every leafy pun imaginable. Add an Italian chef and a marriage proposal, and you have a one-of-a-kind plot waiting for that unique reader willing to take the time to unravel this clever book. Each page is painstakingly laid out in scrapbook form as the story unfolds with letters, newspaper columns, even packing envelopes. Some children may find the variety of wacky fonts and page styles difficult to navigate, and the quaint cover depicting a large party taking place under a tree does nothing to add to the book's appeal.–Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.