A Tree Can Be...: 06/29/07
A Tree Can Be... is one of Harriet's current favorite books. It is a short poem spread over sixteen beautifully illustrated pages. It is Anna Vojtech's soft illustrations that Harriet responds to most.

Her favorite part of the book is spread across pages 10 and 11: "a place to climb, and a place to stay dry." Climb is illustrated with a pair of curious raccoons who are climbing the oak tree. "Dry" is illustrated with a pair of sparrows who are huddling under the leaves during a rainstorm.

For reading aloud, the book has a soothing and easy rhythm except for the last page where the poem ends awkwardly. It ends with "and it changes year-round" (page 15) but it would flow better with "and it changes all year-round."

The final page has a lovely diagram of the various parts of the oak tree, each which has been highlighted in the course of the book. The pieces labeled are: leaf, stem, bud, branch, seed, trunk, bark and root.

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