A Tree Is Nice

1956 picture book by Janice May Udry

0-06-443147-9OCLC29000764

A Tree is Nice is a children's picture book written by Janice May Udry and illustrated by Marc Simont. It was published by Harper and Brothers in 1956, and won the Caldecott Medal in 1957.^[1] The book tells Udry's poetic opinion on why trees are nice:

"Trees are pretty. They fill up the sky. If you have a tree, you can climb up its trunk, roll in its leaves, or hang a swing from one of its limbs. Cows and babies can nap in the shade of a tree. Birds can make nests in the branches. A tree is good to have around. A tree is nice."

For their part, Marc Simont's illustrations emphasize the child-like charm of Udry's words. Half of the book's illustrations are in full color, and the paintings of the trees shows just how nice a tree can be.^[2]

In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1956 to 1965, Norma R. Fryatt wrote, "The book becomes one of the most convincing sermons on conservation yet done for young children."^[3]

References

^ American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present Archived 2011-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. URL accessed 27 May 2009.
^ "A Tree Is Nice (Rise and Shine)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
^ Fryatt, Norma R. (1965). "Picture Books Today". In Kingman, Lee (ed.). Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books: 1956-1965. Boston: The Horn Book, Incorporated. p. 272. LCCN 65-26759.

Awards
Preceded by Frog Went A-Courtin'	Caldecott Medal recipient 1957	Succeeded by Time of Wonder

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Caldecott Medal–winning works

1938–1950

Animals of the Bible (1938)
Mei Li (1939)
Abraham Lincoln (1940)
They Were Strong and Good (1941)
Make Way for Ducklings (1942)
The Little House (1943)
Many Moons (1944)
Prayer for a Child (1945)
The Rooster Crows (1946)
The Little Island (1947)
White Snow, Bright Snow (1948)
The Big Snow (1949)
Song of the Swallows (1950)

1951–1975

The Egg Tree (1951)
Finders Keepers (1952)
The Biggest Bear (1953)
Madeline's Rescue (1954)
Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper (1955)
Frog Went A-Courtin' (1956)
A Tree Is Nice (1957)
Time of Wonder (1958)
Chanticleer and the Fox (1959)
Nine Days to Christmas (1960)
Baboushka and the Three Kings (1961)
Once a Mouse (1962)
The Snowy Day (1963)
Where the Wild Things Are (1964)
May I Bring a Friend? (1965)
Always Room for One More (1966)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine (1967)
Drummer Hoff (1968)
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1969)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1970)
A Story, a Story (1971)
One Fine Day (1972)
The Funny Little Woman (1973)
Duffy and the Devil (1974)
Arrow to the Sun (1975)

1976–2000

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (1976)
Ashanti to Zulu (1977)
Noah's Ark (1978)
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (1979)
Ox-Cart Man (1980)
Fables (1981)
Jumanji (1982)
Shadow (1983)
The Glorious Flight (1984)
Saint George and the Dragon (1985)
The Polar Express (1986)
Hey, Al (1987)
Owl Moon (1988)
Song and Dance Man (1989)
Lon Po Po (1990)
Black and White (1991)
Tuesday (1992)
Mirette on the High Wire (1993)
Grandfather's Journey (1994)
Smoky Night (1995)
Officer Buckle and Gloria (1996)
Golem (1997)
Rapunzel (1998)
Snowflake Bentley (1999)
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (2000)

2001–present

So You Want to Be President? (2001)
The Three Pigs (2002)
My Friend Rabbit (2003)
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2004)
Kitten's First Full Moon (2005)
The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006)
Flotsam (2007)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008)
The House in the Night (2009)
The Lion & the Mouse (2010)
A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011)
A Ball for Daisy (2012)
This is Not My Hat (2013)
Locomotive (2014)
The Adventures of Beekle (2015)
Finding Winnie (2016)
Radiant Child (2017)
Wolf in the Snow (2018)
Hello Lighthouse (2019)
The Undefeated (2020)
We Are Water Protectors (2021)
Watercress (2022)
Hot Dog (2023)
Big (2024)

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Medium | kindergartner