The Nut That Fell from the Tree

Sangeeta Bhadra (author)
France Cormier (illustrator)

September 1, 2020

Kids Can Press

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Blurb: 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.

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Shop your local indie bookstore

I don’t often review children’s picture books. Actually, I don’t believe that I’ve ever reviewed one. However, when I saw the blurb for Sangeeta Bhadra and France Cormier’s The Nut That Fell from the Tree, I was too intrigued to not request a copy.

Based on the British nursery rhyme, The Nut That Fell from the Tree is a cumulative tale that tells the circle of life starting with an acorn and Jill and moving to a tree and Jill’s grandson Jack. In between, there is a host of animals who are the key to helping the tree to grow.

The story is wonderful in that it shows the interconnectedness of creatures in an environment; the rhyming language is playful, and I could imagine how a child would enjoy repeating the rhymes. The pictures are beautiful with so much detail that I found myself gazing at them, appreciating their quality.

The Nut That Fell from the Tree provides a wonderful opportunity to share the richness of the environment with your child.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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rating: 

4 out of 5 butterflies

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