A Tree Is a Plant

by Clyde Robert Bulla, Stacey Schuett (Illustrator)

Overview

Did you know that a tree is the biggest plant that grows? How does a tree get the food it needs? What happens to trees in the winter? Read and find out about an apple tree's life cycle through every season.

Now rebranded with a new cover look, this Common Core exemplar book features content-rich vocabulary in a classic text by Clyde Robert Bulla, beautifully detailed illustrations updated by Stacey Schuett, and a find out more section with simple experiments to learn about evaporation and tree rings, and more books to read. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by an expert.

This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062382108
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Series:	Graham's Goddesses
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	32,377
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Clyde Robert Bulla is the author of over fifty books for children including The Secret Valley and The Story of Valentine’s Day. He has been writing since 1946 when he published his first book, The Donkey Cart. Mr. Bulla was the first recipient of the Southern California Council on Children’s Literature award for distinguished contribution to the field. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Stacey Schuett's artwork graces numerous picture books, including the I Can Read Book Forest by Laura Godwin and her own Somewhere in theWorld Right Now, a Reading Rainbow Book. Ms. Schuett lives in Sebastopol, California.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-A newly illustrated version of a 1960 publication. Although the title and beginning pages indicate a broad look at trees, the focus is on the apple tree. Through impressionistic paintings and a simple text, the book describes its seasonal cycle. Bulla discusses the parts of the tree and their functions without complex explanations of the mechanisms involved in fruit formation, photosynthesis, etc. "The blossoms last only a few days.-The apples are where the blossoms were before." Concepts such as water intake are emphasized with arrows indicating its route within the plant. The charming paintings, many of which are full-page and large enough for comfortable group sharing, depict numerous outdoor scenes peopled by children of various ethnic backgrounds. An appended section includes instructions for a transpiration experiment and suggests a method for measuring the age of a tree. Gail Saunders-Smith's Apple Trees (Bridgestone, 1998), illustrated with photos, also takes a seasonal approach, but it has a more controlled vocabulary and contains much less information than Bulla's book. Saunders-Smith's From Blossom to Fruit (Pebble, 1998) is exclusively about apple formation, with a very simplified vocabulary and close-up color photos.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Glowing new illustrations featuring a multiracial cast of children adorn this classic "Let's Read and Find Out Science" primer, first published in 1960. Using plain language and short sentences, Bulla follows an apple tree from seed to maturity, introducing readers to leaves, flowers, branches, roots, and fruits-all of which are depicted in thickly brushed but recognizable detail in Schuett's (Night Lights, 2000, etc.) outdoorsy scenes. It's a staid but still useful introduction, and budding botanists will "Find Out" more from the two experiments and a short reading list at the end. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-7)

Kirkus Reviews