The Tree that Bear Climbed

This week we continue learning about Brain Boosting Books. 

The Tree that Bear Climbed
by Marianne Berkes
ISBN: 9781607185376
$ 9.95 (paperback)
$ 17.95 (hardback)


About the book:
Everyone knows about the house that Jack built, but this is The Tree That Bear Climbed. What makes this tree so fascinating to Bear? Starting with the roots that anchor the tree, this chain of events told in cumulative verse explores many different things that help a tree stand tall. It also lends itself to further discussion with fun repetition and detailed picture clues, stimulating a child's curiosity. Why does the bear climb the tree and what happens when he arrives at his goal?

My thoughts: 
(Part of this review was originally posted on my old literacy blog 'Classic Children's Books' and I have updated to share our experience now.)

Then: My kids LOVE this book. The story is very repetitive and familiar to the ear. The pictures are huge and really get the kids involved in the story. Usually when I read a story like this I hand it to the kids when I'm done and both Sierra (3) and Connor (5) will try their hand at "retelling" the story. During our reading of the story we talk about the parts & the various needs of a tree - there is soil, the sun, rain, blossoms, leaves and so on making this a great beginning science book for kids 3+.

Now: We now are sharing this book with 19 month old Gianna. She loves to be the bear (or lion depending on the book) and do the RAWWRRR of the bear. She points out the "quirrels" and the birds in the sky or the tree. It's actually pretty funny. I love how BIG the pictures are and the fact that they are a double page spread. The verbiage & text is easy to read and there are enough "big" words to help even the little little kids enhance their language and comprehension skills.

This fall I will be running several reviews on Arbordale Publishings books. All of their books are Science & Math based and include 4 pages of activities at the end of each book. Many of the activities you'll find are math, classification, matching, or refer to different information you'll find throughout the story. Not all of their books are an actual story - sometimes it is a non-fiction story that explains perhaps about a job a Vet or a Marine Biologist does, or may the person in the book is a Animal Rescuer. 

Each book also includes a link to approximately 40 pages of activities for teachers or homeschoolers to use in their curriculum. Since most of the books & activities are for kids age 4+ or grades K-3 you will need to tweak them to make them fit your preschooler or older toddler. All the books are Aligned to Standards and you can find previews of all books in English and most in Spanish as well. You will find all this information as well as the activity guide on the Home Bookpage at Arbordale. 

Click the title to find the Activity Guide & the home bookpage for this book by clicking on these links..

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this book as a service to my readers. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy. I was not required to have a positive review & no $$$ exchanged hands.