Little Pear Tree

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 5, 2014

Review

This board book has astounding, colorful, pastel illustrations that depict four seasons in the life of a pear tree, from its beginning as a seed underground in winter to becoming a home for owls and other birds by the next winter. There is a stanza on each page-spread about the pear tree's journey, a lovely poem about what the pear tree is experiencing each season. Throughout the book are several flaps to lift that reveal varied creatures, insects, birds, and the like along with the word for each. All in all, this is a lovely book, BUT the font is quite small and dark for a boardbook format and the flaps are invitations for little hands to rip, tear and generally destroy this lovely offering. Therefore, it might be better as a read-aloud for a private collection as opposed to a library choice where it just would not stand up to the little ones' predilection for ripping and biting, and would not remain in good condition for any length of time.

Overall Book Score: good