Beatrice dreams of becoming a tree. She grows roots and leaves, and she stretches her branches toward the sky. From Joyce Hesselberth, the award-winning creator of Mapping Sam and Pitter Pattern , Beatrice Was a Tree introduces young readers to everything there is to know about trees. This beautifully illustrated informational picture book is an exceptional choice for home as well as classroom sharing. Includes backmatter about the science of trees. When it’s time to go to bed, Beatrice imagines how much fun it would be to stay outside with the trees all night long. If she were a tree, she would have a trunk and branches and lots of leaves. Her roots would reach deep. She would catch the morning sun with her limbs and cradle a bird’s nest in her branches. And when the air turned crisp, Beatrice would wait patiently for spring. Beatrice Was a Tree is a great read-aloud that illuminates the importance of trees to our planet. This picture book includes information about tree anatomy, shows how trees change with each season, gives a simple explanation of photosynthesis, and includes a checklist of animals that appear throughout the story. A perfect pick for language arts and science classrooms, as well as story time. K-Gr 2—Look at the trees. Beginning with labeled leaf shapes on end pages, the reader's eye moves on to stylized folk art images of trees and the fluid movements of fair-skinned, dark-haired Beatrice as she climbs a tree, hangs upside down, and briefly tries to ignore the call to come in for the night. She can easily visualize staying outside the full night: "If I were a tree…." Her arms grow into tree shape with trunk and bark, with branches and leaves that move with the breeze. Birds catch the morning sun, squirrels appear, followed by caterpillars, deer, spiders, and a sleepy owl. The tree then sends roots to burrow into soil with earthworms, chipmunks, vole, and mice. As Beatrice dreams of her tree, each page brings the reader a new seasonal digital collage with watercolor, acrylic, and gouache, ending with brief simple sentences and the quiet of fallen snow. An infographic page emphasizes how animals use trees, including a labeled diagram of tree parts, the seasons, an explanation of photosynthesis, and encouragement to plant. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for all libraries, the book is a lovely art tribute to the beauty of trees through Beatrice's dream—interrupted by a persistent voice and the annoying final call, "Beatrice, Bed! Now!"—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX “Wanting to stay out all night, Beatrice wishes she were a tree . . . As the Beatrice tree changes through the seasons, the illustrations, done in watercolor, acrylic paint, gouache, and digital collage, use simple shapes and flickering colors to produce a dreamlike feel. . . . A lovely metamorphosis story.” - Booklist “[Beatrice] climbs a tree, hangs upside down, and briefly tries to ignore the call to come in for the night. . . . As Beatrice dreams of her tree, each page brings the reader a new seasonal digital collage with watercolor, acrylic, and gouache, ending with brief simple sentences and the quiet of fallen snow. An infographic page emphasizes how animals use trees, including a labeled diagram of tree parts, the seasons, an explanation of photosynthesis, and encouragement to plant. . . . A lovely art tribute to the beauty of trees through Beatrice’s dream.” - School Library Journal   “As Beatrice stalls her bedtime, readers learn rudimentary facts about trees. . . . [Beatrice] imagines herself sprouting twigs and leaves. Soon, she is fantasizing about her life as a tree, first into the next day and then through the seasons. . . . Additional pages contribute a few more botanical facts, but the story itself naturally segues into naptime or bedtime.” - Kirkus Reviews “A young girl’s ‘If I were a tree…’ conjecture opens the door for an informative and imaginative journey through the seasons of arboreal life. . . . Hesselberth’s watercolor, acrylic paint, gouache, and digital collage illustrations use texture, geometric shapes, and muted colors to show a tree’s many appearances throughout the cyclical year. . . . . Diagrams of photosynthesis and the life cycle of a tree and a list of animals that rely on trees for survival provide further information on the final spread. . . . A fantastical view of trees and their place in nature.” - Horn Book Magazine