The Abba Tree

by Devora Busheri, Gal Shkedi (Illustrations)

Hannah and Abba--Hebrew for "Dad"--are spending time together in nature on Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish Arbor Day. As Abba rests under a carob tree, Hannah declares that she wants to climb a tree. The carob tree's trunk is too skinny, but can she climb a eucalyptus tree or a pine tree or an olive tree? When each poses a challenge--for being too scratchy, for not having footholds--Abba offers new inspiration for climbing and insight into what Hannah and the carob tree share in common.

Genres: Picture Books, Jewish, Family, Nature, Holiday, Plays, Judaism

24 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is meant for parents, teachers, and other people that work with children to read.

It's getting close to Tu B'Shevat (holiday for New Year of the Trees) and Hannah wants to climb a tree. She finds different trees to climb...an eucalyptus tree, an olive tree, and a pine tree. Then, she comes across a carob tree that isn't big enough to climb. She still wants to climb trees though after climbing all of those different kinds of trees and her dad gives her another kind of idea to do so.

What I like about this book is that it gives some education about the different trees that Hannah runs across. It helps to show children that there are different kinds of trees with different characteristics. I think that a lot of children will find that the abba tree is the most interesting tree in this book!

I received a digital copy of this book free from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it.

[Gabor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admired “The Abba Tree”, because it hit a great balance of teaching while providing a fun experience for kids (and me too, an “adult”.) The “content”–to use a word currently re- and mis-appropriated by marketing industry–was simple: a classic Talmud story and the description of three different kinds of trees. These in themselves can sound boring to those who are not interested in these topics. But weaved into the story and depicted with gorgeous illustrations became hidden in plain sight.

Full review

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of a book about trees.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Abba plants a carob tree for his daughter Hannah and her descendants.