Product Description

David is very shy, but he loves to draw. One day at school, he begins a beautiful picture of a tree he has seen. One by one his classmates offer suggestions for the drawing, eventually all joining in to add imaginative details to the picture. As the drawing develops, David overcomes his shyness and finds a way to make new friends. A gentle celebration of a child's creativity that speaks directly to the experiences of children, this story provides comfort and encouragement as children face the challenges of making friends in new situations. In full-colour. Ages 5 and over.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #622765 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-20
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .11" h x 7.98" w x 9.84" l, .27 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In her insightful narrative and handsome cut-paper-and-collage artwork, Falwell (Word Wizard; The Letter Jesters) subtly conveys the importance of both teamwork and independence. In the opening spreads, she shows David hanging back from the other kids on a snowy day. But when he begins to sketch a bare-limbed tree he'd spotted on the way to school, his classmates notice. "Nice tree," says Amanda, adding, "But it needs color." David obliges with some brown crayon bark and, with his shy approval, Amanda herself scribbles in green grass. Jamal offers some "cool stickers" and Laurel draws in a ballerina modeled on herself. In all, nine children contribute to the drawing, with each addition cumulatively charted by Falwell in a boxed vignette off to the side. What was once a study of wintry solitude now looks downright springlike--and the experience causes David to blossom as well. Amanda invites him to play at recess, and when he returns to the classroom, he labels the drawing "Our Class Picture." But what's noteworthy here is that Falwell takes her parable one step further: back at home, David recreates his original, elegantly austere tree, titles it "My Drawing" and proudly hangs it over his bed. Falwell makes it clear that David is better off for connecting to his peers, but also shows that his artistic integrity is equally important. Ages 3-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 3-One wintry morning, David, a shy African-American boy, spies a beautiful tree on his way to school. Before class begins, he gets a paper and pencil and draws its trunk and bare branches. Soon, his schoolmates look on and make suggestions: Amanda thinks the picture needs color, Laurel thinks "It needs a person-like me!" Ryan adds some leaves and Jamal contributes some cool stickers. Someone else says, "Birds would look nice." After they all add their own touches, David captions it "Our Class Picture" and hangs it on the bulletin board. On the way home, the child once again sees his tree and draws a new picture. When his sister says, "Nice drawing.-But it needs something," her suggestion is that it needs to hang on the wall. He adds the words "My Drawing" and tacks it above his bed. Falwell's cut-paper and fabric collages offer rich details of David's world. Snow banks billow across the hills, colorful tissue paper is used to create the classroom walls, and a small white "page" on the right side of each spread shows David's work as it progresses. In this gentle and appealing story, a boy figures out how to stay true to his own artistic vision while allowing his friends to express their own creativity.

Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4-7. As shy David walks to school, he sees a lonely, bare tree, and when he gets to class, he draws a picture of it. One by one the other students come over with suggestions: green grass, leaves, a girl, a boy. David tells each child to draw his or her idea on the picture, so by the time the picture is hung on the bulletin board, it's a real class effort. Now David has not only a beautiful picture but also a group of friends. The cut-paper-and-fabric collages are a good choice for the story. Their dimension brings alive the multiethnic classroom of smiling, engaging kids. Each spread shows the picture David has drawn, and children will enjoy watching the work grow more intricate as things are added. Both theme and execution make this a fine choice for classroom read-alouds; listeners may want to talk about the story's themes and make their own class picture. Ilene Cooper
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