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    Tap The Magic Tree, by Christie Matheson | Book Review

    Trevor Laurence JockimsBy Trevor Laurence Jockims3 Mins Read Ages 0-3 Ages 4-8 Environment & Ecology Interactive Picture Books Science Seasonal: Holiday Books
    Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
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    The Children’s Book Review | September 22, 2014

    Tap the Magic Tree by Christie MathesonTap The Magic Tree

    By Christie Matheson

    Age Range: 3-7 years

    Hardcover: 40 Pages

    Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 27, 2013)

    What to expect: Unique, Innovative, Interactive story

    A beautiful story about the changing seasons centered on a single tree that children are asked to interact with on the page.

    The book begins with an appropriately austere drawing of a bare, winter tree. The text on the facing page asks the child to “tap” the tree once. On the next page a single leaf appears on the same tree, and the child is asked to “tap again” four times. Four more leaves appear on the next page. The interactivity builds, and your child will love adding more leaves with each tap and each turned page, rubbing the tree branches to produce buds, jiggling the tree to cause the blooms to fall, shaking its apples loose, blowing the leaves away for autumn, and counting to ten to bring spring back again.

    This book shows off the imaginative possibilities of the printed page in a new and exciting way. Each instruction is met with a new drawing on the next page, where the child’s action is shown to have changed the tree in some way. Many children are used to interacting with tablets that respond to touch, so it is great fun for them to interact with a book in this way, where the imagination has even greater room to play since it is the sole animating force. This is one of the smartest and most thoughtfully conceived books for children I have seen in some time, and it also provides a great summary of the changing seasons and the many forms a single tree can take across the seasons.

    Christie Matheson wrote and illustrated the story, and the drawings are a great complement to the book’s fun, insightful, and playful form, which will invite conversation and reflection each time you read it with your child.

    Add this book to your collection: Tap The Magic Tree

    About the Author-Illustrator

    Christie Matheson writes about green living, design, and everything from modern bird-houses to the magic of local bookstores. She’s the author of many books for grown-ups, and this is her first book for children. She writes, paints, collages, and lives with her family in San Francisco and New England.

    Tap the Magic Tree, by Christie Matheson, was reviewed by Trevor Laurence Jockims. Follow along with our Picture Books category to discover more great books for sharing with your kids.

    What to Read Next:

    1. The Power of a Picture Book Author School Visit
    2. The Last Leaf, by Billy Baldwin | Dedicated Review
    3. 5 Kids Books That Celebrate the Change of Seasons
    4. Joshua Little and the Leaves, by Andrea Cluff | Dedicated Review

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Changing Seasons Books Christie Matheson Greenwillow Books Season Books Trees
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    Trevor Laurence Jockims

    Trevor Laurence Jockims lives in New York City with his wife, daughter, and son. He has reviewed books for The Times Literary Supplement, Book Forum, The Believer, and elsewhere. He completed a PhD in Comparative Literature, and teaches writing at New York University.

    2 Comments

    1. Pingback: Around the Web: Links - Never Too Old for Pictures

    2. amira carrera on February 21, 2016 4:07 pm

      Excellent commentary . I learned a lot from the points ! Does someone know where my assistant can find a sample CA FTB 199 document to edit ?

      Reply
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