The Nut That Fell from the Tree by Sangeeta Bhadra

France Cormier's richly colored illustrations add energy and continuity to the story, as the perspective zooms in and out and dotted lines follow the acorn's path. ”) and the use of fun-to-say words - like, “hullabaloooo” and “pee-ew” - make for a picture book that begs to be read aloud. The jaunty rhythm of the text (“This is the raccoon, a sneak through and through / that tricked the goose with a bird's-eye view. In this lively story, Sangeeta Bhadra offers a playful depiction of the circle of life.

But in the end, the rat, goose, bear and more turn out to simply be the conduits that help the acorn eventually land on a hillside, where the warm sun helps it grow into another grand oak tree, which now holds the house where Jack (Jill's grandson) plays. In the style of “The House That Jack Built,” here's a cumulative, rhyming tale that follows an acorn on an arduous journey, as one animal after another steals it, drops it or tosses it, sending the acorn inside an old shoe, high above the trees and down to the bottom of a stream. This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays. This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays. A playful, lively story about one acorn's difficult path to becoming a tree.

The Nut That Fell from the Tree by Sangeeta Bhadra