This Is the Tree

The end papers of this book set the tone with edge to edge ripples of sand. Life in the Sahara dessert is described in lovely language: This is the place where dust evils, like whirlwinds, dance spirals of sand dust high into the air. The art work is servicable and illustrates the information. A glossary of terms at the end of the book explains concepts such as the Tuareg, Sandstorms, trading salt and more. Perfect book for study of biomes.

This children's non-fiction picture book is an introduction to learning about the unique Baobab Tree which grows in the African savannah. This book is perfect for use by teachers or homeschoolers who are studying the habitat of the African savannah or about the animals of Africa. The text rhymes and the book has a low word count, making it suitable to read to not only elementary school aged children but to preschoolers and even toddlers. The reader could breeze through reading the text and not do much more with the book than that if they wanted. However, that would be a shame because the book is filled with lots of illustrations of the creatures that live in and around the Baobab tree. Although the creatures are not discussed in detail and most are not even named, they provide a lot to look at and to stir curiosity. The parent or teacher could use this book as a jumping off point to learn about some of the creatures that are pictured in the book. The pages are so crammed with illustrations of the creatures that to truly look at each thing on the page could take a good amount of time. The illustrations are hand dawn, very colorful and are detailed. I learned a lot about the Baobab tree, which is sometimes called the Upside-Down Tree, which I did not know. The tree has many uses, for its leaves, flowers, fruit, and is used for food and for shelter, and even the bark has special uses! Many animals, insects, other critters and humans all use the tree as a habitat for living in. Children will be amazed to learn about this giant tree which grows to 10 meters in diameter and can live for 2000 years! A double page spread at the back of the book provides about a paragraph of non-fiction facts and information on the different parts of the tree and it's use by humans and creatures of all kinds. I found this section helpful. My only complaint is that the illustrations contain so many creatures which are not mentioned in the book. I wish we could know more about them by reading just this one book. The book aroused our curiosity of these things, such as to know their names and a little about them. I guess at this point we will have to find another source of information to learn more. Perhaps it would have been nice to have a key code at the back of the book with little numbers next to each creature and a key to tell us what the name of it is, so we could read more about a creature that we were interested in. As a homeschooling mother I plan to use this book while teaching my children about Africa. I read this to my children `just for fun' and they enjoyed it. This would be a great book for teachers to use in the classroom. Disclosure Statement: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a book review. I did not get paid to write this review.

"This is the Oasis" follows in the vein of Miriam Moss's previous book, "This is the Tree," about an African baobab tree. The book begins by looking at an oasis from a distance and detailing some common desert animals and phenomena as we move closer to the oasis itself. Once inside the oasis, author and illustrator show the inhabitants of the oasis, from fauna to humans. Every two page spread contains two concepts detailed in two stanzas and picked up in the illustrations. Each stanza begins with the phrase "This is the place..." which becomes wearisome, especially during a read aloud. The illustrations are colorful and appealing, making up for the text's deficiencies. The book serves well as a basic introduction to oasis living, but might inspire more questions than it answers. A short glossary at the end of the book expounds upon common desert names and terms, but still doesn't compensate for the slight, strained text of the bulk of the book.

This book is an amazing story of an African Baobab tree through the seasons. My kids love it and we often read it several times at one sitting. The illustrations are rich and colorful, all the plains animals are represented. It's a lovely book which links nature, human and animal life in a realistic and engaging fashion.