THE COTTONWOOD TREE

The cottonwood’s voice is conversational and has a gentle rhythm for a pleasing read-aloud—possibly in two sessions for the littlest listeners. Even without the additional text, readers learn plenty from the cottonwood’s descriptions of such phases as seed, sprout, seedling, sapling, and mature tree as well as from its descriptions of landing in good soil; pushing off its seed coat and stretching; and being a friend and helper to insects, birds, and mammals. Each double-page spread includes a two-sentence litany of summary and affirmation, as in—after explaining about nesting birds—“I am nature’s nursery. I am a cottonwood tree.” Paralleling the tree’s growth is that of a young, pale-skinned boy. His return visits over the years are interspersed with the tales of animal interactions. In one passage that tenderly veers from hard facts, the man, now grown, tells his daughter (also pale-skinned) a Cheyenne and Arapaho tale about the connection between stars in the sky and cottonwoods. The ending is a reassuring reminder of life’s eternal cycles. All members of this riparian ecosystem—and the visiting humans—come alive in the line-and-color artwork, which includes a variety of perspectives and employs a unifying, soothing color palette. The accessible extra text for older readers includes cottonwood statistics, duck behaviors, and natural history, among other facts.