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 Zee and the tree grow up together, they experience many of the same milestones. When Zee starts preschool, her tree is ready to start life outside the nursery. As Zee 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, Zee 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.
Will Hillenbrand has written and illustrated dozens of books. He is the illustrator of Bear in Love and Bear and Bunny, both by Daniel Pinkwater, and I'm a Duck by Eve Bunting. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A little girl and a Douglas fir grow together on a Christmas tree farm...Informative factual text about Douglas firs and their care accompanies each stage of Zee's and her tree's parallel growth while gentle, realistic illustrations, rendered in soft color washes, visually chronicle their emerging relationship. Zee and her parents present White. A delightful blend of fact and fiction.
--Kirkus Reviews
In simple prose, Rusch details Zee's life from birth to age eight, paralleling her yearly milestones with the tree's, the growth of which is bolstered by the compassionate care the child provides. . . Hillenbrand's mixed-media illustrations employ a soft, classic picture book style, with dot-eyed human figures in a sweet, friendly palette. Aspiring botanists will welcome this detailed examination of Douglas-firs.
--Publishers Weekly
Sure to earn a place in your heart.
--Let's Grow