Cottonwood Tree

“I am a teeny-tiny brown seed sleeping in a fluffy white bed.” Thus begins the story of a cottonwood tree from its inception through its whole life. The story, told from the first-person perspective by the tree itself, is sweet and very engaging for very young listeners, and the addition of chunks of informational text will keep older readers, perhaps up to age ten, engaged as well.

The story of the tree from a seed to a sprout to a sapling to a full-grown tree is simply charming in the hands of author Serena Mangus, who is a master naturalist with a degree in applied ecology. It is clear from the book that she really knows her subject matter, but more than that, she has a deft turn of phrase and excellent storytelling techniques. Even the informational text is engaging.

Mangus brings a boy into the story when the tree is young, and as the tree matures and goes through its life, so does the boy. It’s really quite enchanting. Illustrator Anait Semirdzhyan beautifully completes the story with soft colors and rich details in an impressionistic style, a real feast for the eyes. Do not miss this one.