Zee Grows a Tree
by Elizabeth Rusch (Goodreads Author), Will Hillenbrand (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

Zee and her fir tree grow up at the same time. When Zee is born, her seedling tree is in a greenhouse nursery. When Zee goes to kindergarten, her fir tree is planted outdoors. As Zee grows up, she measures her height and the height of her little tree. When there is a drought, Zee does everything she can to help her tree survive. She waters it and builds a shelter around it, and even camps outside in a tent to be near her tree in the night. With special love and care, Zee’s tree recovers from the drought.

I loved that this book has the main story about Zee, and includes little side text on each page about Douglas fir trees and how they grow. I like that it doesn’t slow down the pace of the main story, but also gives such good information about trees and tree farming.

Zee is such a sweet sunshiney character, and I love to see how she grows up and learns all about her parents’ tree farm, and uses that knowledge to take care of her own special tree. It was really charming to follow her heart-warming story.

The illustrations are a complete delight! The colors are soft and refreshing. All the characters are so cute! I’m not even sure what kind of art style this is. It’s some kind of pencil and mixed media art.

There are so many little details that make this book really special!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.