Beatrice dreams of becoming a tree. She grows roots and leaves, and she stretches her branches toward the sky.

From Joyce Hesselberth, the award-winning creator of Mapping Sam and Pitter Pattern, Beatrice Was a Tree introduces young readers to everything there is to know about trees. This beautifully illustrated informational picture book is an exceptional choice for home as well as classroom sharing. Includes backmatter about the science of trees.

When it’s time to go to bed, Beatrice imagines how much fun it would be to stay outside with the trees all night long. If she were a tree, she would have a trunk and branches and lots of leaves. Her roots would reach deep. She would catch the morning sun with her limbs and cradle a bird’s nest in her branches. And when the air turned crisp, Beatrice would wait patiently for spring.

Beatrice Was a Tree is a great read-aloud that illuminates the importance of trees to our planet. This picture book includes information about tree anatomy, shows how trees change with each season, gives a simple explanation of photosynthesis, and includes a checklist of animals that appear throughout the story. A perfect pick for language arts and science classrooms, as well as story time.

Illustrated by: Joyce Hesselberth