A Grand Old Tree

by Mary Newell DePalma

The Giving Tree for our time. Once there was a grand old tree, whose roots sank deep into the earth and whose arms reached high into the sky. Every spring the grand old tree flowered and bore cherries for the squirrels and birds that made their homes in her leafy branches. And every year, seeds from the tree scattered in the wind, along with many millions of leaves. Mary Newell DePalma creates an emotional tale of life and renewal, of nature's bounty and quiet balance, illustrated with simple images made powerful with vivid colors and moving compositions.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Science, Nature, Plants, Storytime, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story that tells about the life cycle of a tree. The story is told with a simple, short narrative and bright, cartoonish illustrations that will appeal to young children. The narrative is easy to read aloud and I think this book would work well for a group storytime, especially one with a tree or Arbor Day theme.

I saw this book mentioned in a discussion about Arbor Day in the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads. So, in honor of Arbor Day, we read a few books about trees.

[Mr. Danny Arévalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Short story, big message!
I will be adding this book to my list of books to read on my upcoming YouTube channel this summer!

[Lauren Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

When creating plans on teaching the life cycle of a tree, this book should absolutely be included. The flow of the book mimics the slowly swaying movements of a tree on a windy day. There are many vocabulary words that students will need to know about the lives of trees and important information about the circle of life in regards to nature and unexpected habitats for animals. The students could recreate this story on paper with definitions for the vocabulary words on the appropriate page. Also, it could easily be performed by giving each group of students a section of the story and having them act out their parts, demonstrating that they understand the new vocabulary. Lastly, the students could put the sequence of a tree's life in order in their own creative ways.

Grade Level: K-2

[Rachel Battocletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a part of our tree study in my preschool class we read this for the first time today, and while it is a short story it explained the lifecycle of a tree to my preschoolers in a very appropriate way for their age level.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to use these illustrations to decorate my daughter's room. Some of my favorite illustrations ever, and the pictures are what earned the extra star for my review. I believe the story was well-written, but the sadness of this tale did not quite mesh with the cutesy print and darling pictures. I did like it, but it was not quite what I was expecting the experience with my three-year old. Jordan was only semi-interested.

[Michiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book about the life cycle of a tree, DePalma writes a simple book with rich language. This little book lends itself nicely to mini-lessons on active voice and verb use in writing, and life cycles and decomposition in science. It is accessible to early elementary students, and complex enough to engage older learners in conversation around word choice and poetry.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet. I'm always a sucker for a story about a tree. This would be a great toddler book; it follows one tree's life cycle, from mature tree to tumbled over trunk to humus for the next sapling. There's very little text, and the pictures are whimsical, but with strong lines, and easy for little eyes and minds to decipher.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how short this book and how the tree changes throughout the book with many different animals. The illustrations were lovely and the text was short and simple. I engaged the preschoolers with before, during, and post reading questions and they seemed to enjoy this book, but they did notice how short it was. This book was used for our Trees Unit under the Creative Curriculum.

[Renée Roehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book on the life cycle of a tree (I liked it as a grandmother tree) and how trees give so much. Language is poetic and clear and death is shown as part of a passage of living. I enjoyed the simple illustrations as well. Good for many ages.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet. A tree grows, has leaves, fruits, flowers. Then it grows very old and dies. It becomes a home to animals on the ground. Then it becomes dirt and its grandchildren's roots grow in the soil.

[Emily Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that illustrates a story about a tree, how it grows, and its life cycle. Would be great for younger elementary students.

ATOS Book Level: 2.6
Lexile: 530L

Six+1 Traits: Ideas and Presentation

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scientifically speaking, I can't recommend this highly enough. It's wonderful. It beautifully illustrated and very well written. It presents a concept (life cycle) in an age appropriate manner that is easily understood by young children. LOVED IT
BUY THIS

[Grace Russell]

This book was used in a kindergarten class to talk about the life of a tree. It goes from the small sapling stage to the tree becoming tall and strong to growing old and falling. The kids loved the bright and cartoonish illustrations! A great age appropriate book to tie science into reading.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5yo niece and I are reading this book twice a day right now. It’s a very sweet short book.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle book about the cycle of life told with a tree.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definite vibes of, "The Giving Tree". But a sweet book.

-AG

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to use to show change of a tree. Perfect for Earth Day lessons. Pair with Our Tree Named Steve or Little Tree.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 storytime theme: Earth Day

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Mary N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Works really well for pre-k storytime.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The impact of one tree is illustrated simply, yet powerfully.

[Jessalyn Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. Thoughtful, simple, and sweet story. Pretty and interesting pictures. Overall a great book for children.

[Melissa D'Haene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable. Great art.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4
Illustrations 4

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holt-Delhi library PJ story time 11-12-2025

[Anna Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Reaction:
I really liked this book because of how simple it was. It is focused on a very young age group, yet the message it sends is very powerful and it is something that kids can learn and carry on throughout their life. The think I really liked about it was that even adults can learn a powerful message from it, that you should give unselfishly of yourself to others and those around you because you never know who you will help and impact profoundly when you are gone. This book has a lot of deep meaning in a short children's picture book.

Purposes:
-Kindergarten read aloud level; very short and sweet.
Read Aloud Enrichment:
-Enjoyment and personal purposes focusing on how you should give unselfishly to others just because you can and they will be grateful for it. Not only that, but helping those you don't know and impacting people's life for the better.
-Educational purposes: you could read this book to introduce a section where you are teaching about trees and their growth process, along with pollination, oxygen, and (like the book covers) how it makes fruit to feed animals, and gives animals homes, even when she has died and cannot produce leaves and flowers anymore.
-If the students are having a hard time sharing and appreciating others this would be a good book to read to see it from a broader perspective. You could ask them how this story relates to the classroom and how they can fix their problems by thinking of the story.
Curriculum:
-Vocabulary many kindergarteners may not know: bore, sowed, basked, and lichen.
-Ask the students what they think these words mean

[Kelly Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

personal reaction- I thought this book would be a great book to read to first graders. This book had bright and bubbly illustrations flowing from page to page. I really enjoyed this book because it provided me with a simple and fun explanation of a trees growth and presentation it will have during the different seasons. I appreciated that this book stayed to a simple story plot, the death and growth of the tree and the the different physical features it undergoes. I also enjoyed how this book because it didn't overwhelm the audience with text. It did a wonderful job providing enough text and illustrations to keep me wanting to read on.

purpose/use in the classroom- This book would be a wonderful choice to read aloud to first graders. It would be a perfect fit to begin with when teaching a unit of the growth and development of trees and the physical features it undergoes during the different seasons. It is a clear and simple story plot that will keep first graders attention. It won't overwhelm first graders because it sticks to limited text. It also uses easy to understand vocab, including creatures, branches, roots, and crawled. It uses simple phrases to describe the growth of the tree, "roots sank deep into the ground." Overall, this book is a great read aloud to start with when first introducing the unit of tree growth and physical features. It is a fun book to get students excited about the unit.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cycle of Life

Once there was a grand old tree, whose roots sank deep into the earth and whose arms reached high into the sky. Every spring the grand old tree flowered and bore cherries for the squirrels and birds that made their homes in her leafy branches. And every year, seeds from the tree scattered in the wind, along with many millions of leaves. Mary Newell DePalma creates an emotional tale of life and renewal, of nature's bounty and quiet balance, illustrated with simple images made powerful with vivid colors and moving compositions.



Mary Newell DePalma is an author and illustrator of children's books. Before Mary was a children's book author and illustrator, she knitted designer sweaters, interpreted for the deaf, and painted signs. Some of her hobbies include gardening, knitting, reading, and, of course, drawing! She has illustrated MY CHAIR, A GRAND OLD TREE, and THE NUTCRACKER DOLL for Arthur A. Levine Books. Mary lives in Boston with her husband and two children.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading somewhat like an ode, this picture book tells about a tree through the years and seasons, how it is home to various animals through the years (even after it dies), and sows other trees.

The description compares this to The Giving Tree and it does have a slightly similar feel in that you follow a tree through its lifetime, but it is a little more sciency than The Giving Tree exploring the ecological niche of the tree. A good resource when talking abut habitats, life cycles of plants, or food webs.

[Sara Parry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story because it reminded me of a book that I read all the time when I was younger called "The Giving Tree". This story shows how life goes on and all of the different forms of life the tree supports. The tree lives through many different seasons for many different years. The tree is old it is it's time to die. The tree is then able to support new life and the cycle is able to continue. This book would be helpful to integrate science and reading in the classroom. It would be an interesting way for students to understand a part of the life cycle.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

DePalma takes the reader through the life cycle of a particular “grand old tree,” as the tree takes root, spreads her branches, provides a home for animals, flowers, fruits, sows seeds; after the tree dies in winter, she still provides a home for animals. Students learn about a tree’s life cycle through lyrical prose. The adjoining illustrations reinforce the concepts introduced in the text. They are brightly done and contain a hint of abstract method.