My Favorite Tree
Diane Iverson
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
1999 Dawn Publications
ISBN: 1883220939

Terrific Trees of North America -- what they are, where they grow & how humans & animals have used them.

Now, as everyone who knows me, knows I love trees. I once was an expert tree climber. One of my favorite places for reading was high up in the arms of one particular ancient Beech tree in a pasture in Herefordshire in Great Britain. There amid those dark red rustling leaves, on those long, late summer afternoons when the beechnut husks were popping, life was very, very good. Nowadays, only in spirit do I clamber up into our friends' embrace.

So when Dawn Publications invited me to visit their website & choose from their super selection of “Sharing Nature With Children Books,” I, naturally, had to pick My Favorite Tree, written & illustrated by the much-respected grandma artist, Diane Iverson, who chose the trees & created for each tree a two page gloriously detailed illustration with useful botanical information.

Come into My Favorite Tree & meet the Ash & Aspen, Birch & Cedar, Cherry & Cottonwood, Dogwood & Elm, Holly & Honeylocust, Joshua Tree & Magnolia, Maple & Oak, Ohi'a & Palm, Persimmon & Pine, Redbud & Redwood, Saguaro & Spruce, Sweetgum & Sycamore, Walnut & Yew. You will not look at a tree again, quite the same way.

Each trees' habitat & vital statistics are given, as well as who their Wild Companions are. There is an It's a Fact section which tells us how Native Americans & early settlers used each tree, & a Hall of Fame box for the largest, the oldest, or if a tree has been chosen to represent the State in which it is naturally found.

Did you know Cherry Trees are in the Rose Family? The Joshua Tree is in the Lily Family? The Sweet Gum is from the Witch-Hazel Family? Silhouettes of the various leaves of cousins are given as well as flowers & seeds.

There's a good Glossary at the end, a list of Organizations Concerned With Protecting Trees, a Further Reading section & an Index of the Trees.

So if you're a lover of Trees & want to turn your kids on to their delights, I encourage you to pick up a copy of My Favorite Tree because it is the perfect companion for your adventures among our beautiful, health-giving arboreal brethren.

“Dawn Publications is dedicated to inspiring in children a deeper understanding and appreciation for all life on Earth.” www.DawnPub.com
(09/08/02)

Rebecca