A Grand Old Tree

This is the tale of a grand old tree, whose roots ran deep, and whose arms reached high. She grew and shed many millions of leaves. And her children grew tall beside her. This is the tale of a grand, beautiful cycle of life. A beginning. A middle. And yes, and end that leads on to many new beginnings. This is a book with someting to say to many generations of readers.

The words are in the shape of the tree trunk: a concrete poem! I made this illustration by cutting the roots out of brown tissue paper and using them for the branches.

School Library Journal

...Perfect for storyhour and for beginning readers, this book will make a grand addition to most collections.
Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA

Kirkus Reviews

...DePalma's delicate tissue-paper collage and watercolor illustrations (with miscellaneous fibers) are winningly simple and her big-eyed animals are sweetly comical,especially the fruit-munching squirrel buddies and the fat, leaf-sailing ladybugs. A winsome introduction to the cycles of life. (Picture book. 4-8)

Booklist

...The simple text conveys the tree's life and death in a matter-of-fact way,but with well-chosen words that are poetic in the economy of their expression and the precision of their imagery.
...Neither sentimental nor unfeeling, this appealing picture book offers an appreciation of the cycle of life through a story that is accessible to young children.
Carolyn Phelan