While stopping to admire some of the world’s most amazing trees, the Cat and Co. teach beginning readers how to identify different species from the shape of their crowns, leaves, lobes, seeds, bark, and fruit. Kids will learn about many trees common to North America. Take students outside after Reading book to search for the trees Identified in the text. Students would then make Observations abut what they see.

I Can Name 50 Trees Today, is an informative book about 50 trees. Children in elementary school can use this as a recourse for learning different trees, for a project, or even to help them write a paper on it.

I really enjoyed this book because it is useful as a book for enjoyment and an informational book for children to get a ton of information on nature. What I enjoyed the most about this book is the language that the other chose to use. The book is telling you facts about trees, but it still rhymes on every page. For example, “Some trees grow to 10 or 20 feet high. Some grow till their tops scrape the clouds in the sky.” This makes learning more fun and makes the new facts easier to remember since you have a memorizing technique, like rhyming. I also liked the illustrations that were throughout the book. They are drawings of trees and their leaves, but the drawings are realistic. There are labels to go along with each picture so that you know exactly what each tree is and it’s characteristics. There are a few interactive side comments at the corner of the page that make you interact with the book. One page tells you to count the number of rings in the tree and the side bar says, “We have counted and we will share our answer with you. Its 67- did you find this to be true?” There is a glossary in the back of the book with all the words that may have been difficult to understand, but will enhance your learning if you know their definition. The big idea of this story was to have the reader know 50 different trees by the time they finished the book. They would also be able to list a few fun facts about trees and some of their characteristics, like their specific leaves. It helps introduce beginning readers to complex facts in order to begin building their foundations for learning and their background knowledge. ( )

Summary: This book is a ryhming book about trees. It teaches about different sizes of different trunks, it talks about the roots and how they help give the tree water. It also goes over photosynthesis and the cylce of how it works. It talks about leaves and the different shapes of them and what the different shapes are called. It goes on to mention specific trees and what category they are classified in. It teaches a trick of how to tell how old a once-living tree was.

Personal Reaction: I always love rhyming books. This one I especially because it keeps the rhyming even in the little side notes and captions. I think it kept my attention and it was definitely fun to read!

Classroom Extension: Obviously, this is a good book about trees for a Science class to read together. It is very specific and age apropriate. There's even a glossary in the back! ( )

This another one of the many Cat in the Hat books. It is full of fun colorful pictures that are sure to grab children's attention. The pictures have descriptions under them explaining what the picture is. ( )