The Tree - Hardcover

Karen Gray Ruelle has been a librarian and journalist. Many of her easy readers about Harry and Emily are based on her own experiences with her brother in Connecticut. She has written and illustrated eleven previous Harry & Emily Adventures for new readers. Ms. Ruelle lives in New York City.

Grade 2–5—More than 250 years ago, an elm tree took root in land that is now part of Madison Square Park in New York City. Ruelle and DeSaix offer verbal and visual views of some of the events that have occurred around the tree since then. Over the years, the area has served as a potter's field for unfortunates such as yellow fever victims, a campground for Civil War soldiers, and a gathering spot for political demonstrations. At various times, an orphanage, railroad station, baseball field, upscale hotel, and hippodrome have existed nearby. Because so much has happened in the area, the text must race through the list of events without space to provide much detail about any of them. A pictorial time line underneath the large illustrations offers an idea of the passage of time. Dark colors and grainy shadings give many of the paintings a gloomy appearance. Three pages of historical notes will be useful for teachers who want to use the book to illustrate how communities change through time. Bruce Hiscock's The Big Tree (S & S, 1994), which features the life of a sugar maple in the New York countryside, might work as an interesting companion to this work, for teachers who wish to compare and contrast urban and rural development. In short, although Ruelle's book is unlikely to attract casual readers, it could serve as a supplemental curriculum resource.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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