I Wonder Who Lives In That Tree, written by Scott Bryan and illustrated by Emma Bryan, has a beautiful flowing rhyme, and the watercolor illustrations capture the freshness of nature. The opening illustration shows a tree trunk with a gaping hole, and rustic leaves litter the hole, probably as bedding for a creature. This picture introduces young children to a mystery with “I wonder who lives in that tree.”
The black bear is loveable with its shiny brown eyes and soft body, and I find it humorous and adorable that the bee on its nose doesn’t frighten it. A cute baby rabbit stands to maybe reach a butterfly, and it’s clever that the woodpecker’s flaming red crest is called a “bright red hat.” Emma Bryan has animals do what they naturally do, like a raccoon eating berries and a bat hanging upside down. The book even shares something about minks I hadn’t considered before: they have webbed feet. Well, the Forest Preserve District of Will County says American Minks have partially webbed feet.
If your child loves animals and rhymes, this book will appeal to them, and the rhymes may help them read on their own. Read “I wonder who lives in that tree. Could it be a bear or a bumble…” You can say, “What rhymes with tree? Bumble…” Your child may respond with, “Bee.”
Spring, summer, and autumn are captured in one setting. Bright flowers and berries celebrate the warmer months, and crinkly orange and tan leaves reflect the autumn. The last illustration has the bear, raccoon, rabbits, and other creatures all cooped up in one hole. In reality, they would attack each other, but maybe the picture captures how animals got along in Eden. It shouldn’t surprise us that it’ll be that way again when Jesus returns and changes the earth.
K.A. Ramstad 