This stunning, profound book explores the life cycle of a tree--not just through a season but across decades--as well as the other living things that depend upon it. How can something stay itself and yet change and grow? The oak tree shows us how.

Sometimes things happen by chance. A blue jay drops an acorn, a lucky acorn that happens to fall in just the right place and begins to grow.

Though it begins life as a tiny part of the forest floor, the acorn soon grows large enough to provide shelter for a fox, host for insects that in turn provide food for songbirds, and a home for many small creatures. Animals hibernate in its branches and among its roots, and humans rest in the cool shade it provides.

As generations of living things pass by the tree, the forest develops, and a town begins to grow. And the lucky tree is always there, though its form and size change.

In this picture book about the life cycle of a tree and the plants and animals that depend upon it, Henry Cole reminds us, in elegant prose and stunning black & white illustrations, of the importance of interconnectedness and the passage of time.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Henry Cole
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Published: 04/29/2025
Pages: 48
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.30h x 11.40w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781682637333


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/18/2024
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2024
School Library Journal 01/17/2025 pg. 1
Booklist 02/01/2025 pg. 61
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2025 pg. 94
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Henry Cole is the author and illustrator of over 150 books for children, including bestsellers such as And Tango Makes Three and books by Julie Andrews Edwards and Harvey Fierstein. A former fourth grade science teacher who grew up on a farm, he is a popular presenter who dazzles audiences of all ages.