House Held Up By Trees (Ted Kooser/Jon Klassen)

Our classroom was full of the sillies today and I was a little worried that this book would be way too much for the moment. However, as we got reading they slowed down the sillies and started to really listen. In the end, the big question was whether or not that could really happen. The debate between the yes and no votes was interesting.

Might be a good book to reading during our City Wildlife unit in Open Court. The illustrations are beautiful and we could talk about how buildings that are not cared for start to fall apart.

Goodreads summary:

When the house was new, not a single tree remained on its perfect lawn to give shade from the sun. The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighboring lots, where thick bushes offered up secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees. Until one day the father, too, moved away, and as the empty house began its decline, the trees began their approach. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time — and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up.