A Tree Is Nice

A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry, illustrated by Marc Simont
1957 Caldecott Medal

I agree, a tree IS nice! This is a sweet celebration of trees. Makes me want to go out and plant one. Makes me want to go out and plant one with each of my kids. And I'd read it to the wee kids in our Outdoor Explorer (environmental education) program as well. Makes me want to think about all my favorite trees. We have a great one in our yard that my husband Holmes transplanted from the woods when he first moved there. It's a willow oak, and for years we called it "The Shade Tree" but it was a joke. It cast enough shade for a pair of dogs if they were strategic about where they lay down, and that was about it.

Now it really IS a shade tree, and the most EXCELLENT climbing tree as well. And during our summer camp sessions there are sometimes a half dozen kids or more all climbing at once.

This is a quiet book but I think it's still doing exactly what was intended when it was published more than 50 years ago! I was pleased to see that in the book jacket notes about the author she talked about spending a lot of time searching out a nursery where they could buy a Ombu tree---- a tree that grows rapidly to enormous size. They found one and planted it,  and Ms. Udry reports it "grew nicely."

I like an author who lives their story!