Celebritrees

Celebritrees: Historic and Famous Trees of the World

Written by: Margi Preus

Illustrated by: Rebecca Gibbon

Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2010 

28 Pages

Nonfiction Book

     I picked this book, because of its unique title.  The book is very interesting.  It is about some of the oldest, tallest, and thickest trees around the world.  Each page tells facts about a different tree such as what it is name, where it is located, and how old it is.  The book says the oldest tree living is a bristlecone pine tree in California; it is named Methuselah.  One that I found to be really interesting is an extremely thick tree in Italy; it is so big around that 100 horses could fit around it! There is another one mentioned in the book that got made into a church.  Another tree in the book that I found interesting is one that was used for a post office.  The book just has a lot of neat facts in it about trees. I think it would be great to use in the classroom. 

     The illustrations in the book are really neat. They are done in several different mediums.  I know one is acrylic, and the other appears to be charcoal or pencil of some kind.  I love how the artist uses perspective to make the reader feel as though he is seeing an actual picture of the trees.  For example, I really like how the artist drew the horses around the tree in Italy that is so thick.  It really helps with visualization.  His work also looks very tedious.  Every line seems to be just perfect.  The pictures go along great with the story.

     I think this book would be great to use for finding informational text, or for a lesson on trees.  I might do a little of both, but I would want them to understand the text first and foremost.  Since historical events are given, I think it could also be used for a history lesson.  Students are learning about history when they are investigating the different trees, because they are learning about culture.  I think it would be a good idea to have them write about one of the trees, or, I could have groups that studied one tree at a time.  It would be great for a center activity.  Students could read the book, and then draw a picture about one part in the book as well.