The nut that fell from the tree

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Title:

The nut that fell from the tree

Author:

Bhadra, Sangeeta, author.

ISBN:

9781525301193

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm.

Reading Level:

AD 640 L Lexile

Subject Term:

Acorns -- Fiction.

Animals -- Fiction.

Oak -- Fiction.

Tree houses -- Fiction.

Nursery rhymes.

Genre:

Picture books.

Humorous fiction.

Added Author:

Cormier, France, 1973-

Added Uniform Title:

Adaptation of (expression): This is the house that Jack built.

Summary:

This is the house where Jill plays. This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays. This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays ... So begins Sangeeta Bhadra's The Nut that Fell from the Tree, a cumulative tale that pays homage to "The House that Jack Built," and a playful account of how difficult it is for an acorn to grow up into an oak! The story follows the acorn along an arduous journey, in which, after falling from Jill's tree, one animal after another steals it, it drops into the water and sinks to the bottom, is picked up and tossed away by a fastidious beaver, is eventually found by a squirrel who decides to bury it for later and forgets about it, leaving it in the earth where the sturdy little nut takes root, and grows and grows and grows into an oak that now holds the house where Jill's grandson, Jack, plays. The jaunty rhythm of the text ("This is the raccoon, a sneak through and through / that tricked the goose with the bird's-eye view ...") and the vibrant, humour-filled illustrations make for a lively, fun read-aloud. --

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Bayport Public Library	PICTURE BOOK BHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	PICTURE BOOK BHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Oakdale Library	PICTURE BOOK BHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	PICTURE BOOK BHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	PICTURE BOOK BHA	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A playful, lively story about one acorn's difficult path to becoming a tree.

This is the house where Jill plays.

This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays.

This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays ...

In the style of "The House That Jack Built," here's a cumulative, rhyming tale that follows an acorn on an arduous journey, as one animal after another steals it, drops it or tosses it, sending the acorn inside an old shoe, high above the trees and down to the bottom of a stream. But in the end, the rat, goose, bear and more turn out to simply be the conduits that help the acorn eventually land on a hillside, where the warm sun helps it grow into another grand oak tree, which now holds the house where Jack (Jill's grandson) plays.

In this lively story, Sangeeta Bhadra offers a playful depiction of the circle of life. The jaunty rhythm of the text ("This is the raccoon, a sneak through and through / that tricked the goose with a bird's-eye view . . .") and the use of fun-to-say words -- like, "hullabaloooo" and "pee-ew" -- make for a picture book that begs to be read aloud. France Cormier's richly colored illustrations add energy and continuity to the story, as the perspective zooms in and out and dotted lines follow the acorn's path. This book could easily spark discussions about plant life cycles, animal habitats and food chains.

Author Notes

Sangeeta Bhadra is the author of Sam's Pet Temper. She studied biology in university, but has always loved writing. She lives in Brampton, Ontario.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2--A charming addition to the genre of this-is-the-house-that-Jack-built and other cumulative tales, this is a multi-themed story about an acorn's tumultuous road to becoming a tree. It all begins with a young white girl named Jill, in a tree house. Readers learn of the many animals attempting to keep the acorn from its destiny including a rat, a blue jay, and a raccoon. The rhyming text introduces important concepts such as the circle of life and perseverance; by the end of the tale, the elderly Jill brings refreshments to the tree house where a young white boy plays. Cormier's rich color palette and whimsical illustrations leap off the page, making this a perfect picture book to read aloud. Young and old readers alike will be drawn into the artistic details. VERDICT Bhadra delivers a witty story full of humor and nuance that can be read independently, shared during story time, used in concert with lessons about the life cycle of living things, or even for a sturdy look at life's hardships.--Maegen Rose, Rye Country Day School, NY

Kirkus Review

The antiquated "House That Jack Built" gets a makeover for 21st-century readers. "This is the house where Jill plays." A light-skinned girl, wearing a magician's hat and cape, is in a treehouse atop a huge oak. The art is colorful, one-dimensional, and cartoonlike. The next double-page spread adds "This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays" and then "This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays." The nut is, of course, an acorn. The acorn gets bounced around and pounced upon by various animals, including a rat, a blue jay, a raccoon, and more. As the text increases, so do the number of animals on each light-green page. Cleverly, every humorous line about a new animal rhymes with "rat looking out from a shoe," right through to a skunk that elicits "PEE-EW!" from the other animals. Those animals flee; text and art dramatically minimize. A shorter second stanza, beginning with "This is the sun," introduces a more contemplative mood as it links the life spans of oaks with humans. It is also less likely than the first stanza to be memorized by youngsters, as it follows a less-predictable pattern. Stanza two changes the book from a simple cumulative tale to deeper food for thought, but unfortunately, the style of art is much better suited for stanza one. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56% of actual size.) A good, if not totally coherent, look at a tree's life cycle. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Kirkus Review

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