Walking back from our school cafeteria yesterday during our planning time, I encountered one of our Pre-K classes playing outside at the playground during recess. A small group consisting of four little ones were playing underneath the huge oak tree, happily throwing leaves up in the air, with one little one carefully picking up a fallen leaf from the ground, and looked at it with a startling gaze of wonder. Gently placing this leaf back onto the pile assembled on the ground, she picked up another one, and counted out loud, "Two..Brown." This instantly brought a smile to my face, as it is always these small moments of the quiet beauty of children discovering and learning that always makes me feel joyful and hopeful.
This encounter immediately brought to mind a charming story called Tap the Magic Tree, written by Christie Matheson in 2013. Continuing with my, "Fall into Fall Tales Spotlight," our seasonal tale begins with a simple, barren brown tree that looks oddly familiar to ours at school (as it too, has almost lost all of it's leaves). The tree tells our little ones that,
"There's magic in this bare brown tree. Tap it once. Turn the page to see."
And, once your little one has done what the tree has asked, to their astonishment, they will quickly see that our tree has grown one leaf. As you continue to read onward, your little one will be counting along as they tap, pat, clap, jiggle and wiggle as leaves sprout, apples grow, flowers bloom on each page. By the end of our tale, your little ones will learn not only about numbers, but will discover how seasonal changes affects trees in an engaging, interactive way.
Tap the Magic Tree
Written & Illustrated by Christie Matheson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2013)
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
For ages 4 thru 8
ISBN: 9780062274458
Retails for $15.99 (Hardcover)
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