The Tree of Life is a good intro to a region students are not usually familiar with. It also shows how we are all a part of nature and depend on each other for life.

One of a number of informational picture-books about trees that author/illustrator Barbara Bash has published - others include In the Heart of the Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree, Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus and Ancient Ones: The World of the Old-Growth Douglas Fir - this engaging title highlights one of the stars of the arboreal world: the magnificent baobab. Opening with a !Kung folk belief about the baobab - that it was planted by the hyena, when the Great Spirit was allowing each animal to plant a tree, but that the hyena, being late, and rather confused, planted it upside down - it profiles the wealth of species that depend upon it for sustenance, and the mini ecosystems incorporated in its body. From the many insects that feed upon its bark and foliage, to the birds who nest in its branches and trunk - not to mention the larger mammals, from bush babies to humans, who eat its fruit and flowers, or the honey made in its hollows - it becomes clear that baobab truly is a life-giving tree.

Informative and engaging, Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobab is everything that a natural history picture-book should be: educational, entertaining, and beautifully illustrated! The watercolor artwork is just lovely, with deep, vivid colors, and realistic depictions of flora and fauna. The African savannah really comes to life in Bash's paintings, which are full-page, with the text appearing in the lighter, background portion of the artwork. I learned quite a bit, and, as should always be the case with good non-fiction, came away with a desire to know more - if the hyena planted the first baobab, according to the !Kung, then which trees did the other animals plant? - which means that I will undoubtedly be picking up the three other titles in Bash's Tree Tales series. A great big thank you to my goodreads friends Chandra and Kathryn, who alerted me to this one - I might never have picked it up, otherwise, and that would have been a shame! Highly recommended to all young tree-lovers and naturalists, and to anyone looking for good children's non-fiction. ( )

Solid and competent illustrations accompany factual text about the African Baobab tree. The text might be a little dry for many kids but it focuses on the wildlife that inhabit the tree as do the very accurate illustrations. The illustrations of the smaller animals and birds are particularly impressive. There are a couple of sentences about mythology of the tree and a couple more about how important the baobab tree is to the African people but they kind of lump all African people together. For example, "The African people also give each old baobab its own special name beginning with 'Um,' which means Mother." Considering how many languages are spoken in the regions that have baobabs, I find it hard to believe that this is true everywhere.

I figured out at what point in the baobab's yearly cycle I was in Africa (not nearly the quantity of wildlife that could inhabit it unfortunately but still a lot) and it brought back a lot of great memories. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know for example that they can live over 1,000 years!

I had two problems with the book:

Formatting: I didn't like the font at all and found it harder to read out loud. I also found the lack of paragraphs didn't help.

The information: I felt it was too heavily weighted on the side of the wildlife that inhabit the trees. The book implied that all of these creatures live in the same trees. I wish there was a little less about the gobs of creatures which grew a little tedious and more about how big an area the trees grow in, what the climate is like (other than rainy and not rainy) or more about biology. But it's already dry and that might make it worse.

What would probably make it more interesting would be a little more mythology, differentiating between tribes. Just a couple of sentences per tribal story wouldn't take up that much space. There could also be a little more about the people using the tree rather than the two sentences currently in it.

3.5 stars but I'm round down because of the freaking font and difficulty reading out loud. My kids got bored. ( )

Solid and competent illustrations accompany factual text about the African Baobab tree. The text might be a little dry for many kids but it focuses on the wildlife that inhabit the tree as do the very accurate illustrations. The illustrations of the smaller animals and birds are particularly impressive. There are a couple of sentences about mythology of the tree and a couple more about how important the baobab tree is to the African people but they kind of lump all African people together. For example, "The African people also give each old baobab its own special name beginning with 'Um,' which means Mother." Considering how many languages are spoken in the regions that have baobabs, I find it hard to believe that this is true everywhere.

I figured out at what point in the baobab's yearly cycle I was in Africa (not nearly the quantity of wildlife that could inhabit it unfortunately but still a lot) and it brought back a lot of great memories. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know for example that they can live over 1,000 years!

I had two problems with the book:

Formatting: I didn't like the font at all and found it harder to read out loud. I also found the lack of paragraphs didn't help.

The information: I felt it was too heavily weighted on the side of the wildlife that inhabit the trees. The book implied that all of these creatures live in the same trees. I wish there was a little less about the gobs of creatures which grew a little tedious and more about how big an area the trees grow in, what the climate is like (other than rainy and not rainy) or more about biology. But it's already dry and that might make it worse.

What would probably make it more interesting would be a little more mythology, differentiating between tribes. Just a couple of sentences per tribal story wouldn't take up that much space. There could also be a little more about the people using the tree rather than the two sentences currently in it.

3.5 stars but I'm round down because of the freaking font and difficulty reading out loud. My kids got bored. ( )