These two books called out to me as possible additions to our second-grade study of animals and habitats. Each provides beautiful illustrations, created with different mediums, which is always intriguing for me to show and talk through with students. Each provides clever prose that lends itself to enjoyable, repeatable read-alouds as we think and study on the wonder of God’s creation.
I Wonder Who Lives in that Tree by Scott Bryan, with pictures by Emma Bryan
I Wonder Who Lives in that Tree starts out with just that question. The subsequent pages celebrate all the different creatures who might live there. The rhyming prose, coupled with the gentle and beautiful watercolors, make this a sweet book that keeps you turning the pages.
The ending reminds me a little of the classic story The Mitten when the final question asks the reader again, “Who lives in that tree?” and you turn the page to find all the animals crowded in the stump.
The dedication,
“To all those creatures who may or may not reside in the base of a certain hollow tree”
…is sweet and such a reminder that we can find a story anywhere if we just look.
Trunk Goes Thunk by Heather C. Morris, with art by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne
“Whoosh! Crash! Thunk! Near the glittering river that gurgles burble, bubble, plunk!”
With those words we are off on an adventure with words and creatures who wonder what that sound was in the forest. Trunk Goes Thunk’s creative wordplay with antonyms is clever and the illustrations are brilliant.
Each page follows the life of this fallen tree, made bridge, and all the forest creatures who discover it. We see animals in different seasons, different times of the day discovering and using this bridge to see what is on the other side of the river.
At the end of the book readers can find a QR code with links to coloring pages and educational resources which are an added bonus.
She savors quiet moments with a cup of tea when she’s able to catch those words and find the courage to write them down.
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