The Tree That Time Built

Bibliography

Hoberman, Mary Ann, and Linda Winston. The Tree That Time Built: a celebration of nature, science, and imagination. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4022-2517-8

Plot Summary

Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston have compiled a collection of poems in this anthology that centers around the theme of evolution and nature.  The book also comes with a companion CD that has 44 oral performances of the poems.  I would recommend this book for middle school age children.     

Critical Analysis

I think the strength of this anthology is in the arrangement of the poems.   They range from the beginning of time, through the ice age, and into the modern world.  They are grouped together into sections that relate to the order of evolution;  poems about the ocean, prehistoric times, trees, insects, small animals, and animals with wings.  A couple of my favorite poems were For Rent: One Moon Snail Shell about how a hermit crab doesn’t grow its own shell so it must find one to live in, and The Termite, which made me laugh when the aunt fell through the floor.  Another element of the book that I liked was the little informational facts about the time, subject, or author listed at the bottom of the pages.      

Awards and Excerpts

Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2009 Winner Favorite Poetry Book United States

Cybil Award, 2009 Finalist Poetry United States

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, 2010 Honor Book United States

School Library Journal review excerpt “From the playful to the profound, the poems invite reflection and inspire further investigation.”

Booklist review excerpt “this attractive, accessible anthology collects poems that celebrate both the facts and the mysteries of the natural world.”

Connections

Other poetry books about nature:
The Sun In Me: Poems About the Planet by Judith Nicholls (2003)
Stone Bench in an Empty Park by Paul B. Janeczko (2002)

Other books by Mary Ann Hoberman:
Forget-Me-Nots : poems to learn by heart (2012)
Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers : a collection of family poems (1991)
Strawberry Hill (2009)
The Llama Who Had No Pajama:100 Favorite Poems (1998)