The Itty Bitty Guide to Trees: A Children’s Identification Guide to Trees of the Inland Northwest (review)

The Itty Bitty Guide to Trees: A Children’s Identification Guide to Trees of the Inland Northwest is an interesting and useful book that helps children learn to identify 16 common trees of the Inland Northwest. The book contains sections not only for children but also an appendix for parents (or teachers), providing opportunities for family fun and learning in the forest. Each tree is discussed in a 2-page collage-style layout. Discussion of each species includes quick ID tips, forest friends and foes, ecological information, wildlife uses, diseases that may infect the tree, and an interesting facts section. The tree is presented in a series of photographs: the tree, its bark, leaves or needles, and cones or fruit. A poem or a word game is on the second page of each species description. Woven throughout the book is the children’s poem “I went walking through the woods one day . . . ,” which provides interest to younger children. With the amount of information provided in each section, however, the book will probably have more appeal to children who are a bit older.

The parent’s appendix contains 6 sections. Low Impact Games to Play with Hiking Children includes more than a dozen games and activities that have enough variety to appeal to children of various ages. Common Names for the Trees lists the common name, Latin name, and alternative common names for each species. A dichotomous key to the 16 species is included in the third section and is a good teaching tool. The Identification Table lists the characteristics of each species, and the table format lends itself to easy comparisons. The Family Tree of Trees and a Classification Chart provide genetic relatedness and taxonomic information. This parent appendix is an excellent resource that can be used to enrich the family experiences—in preparation beforehand as well as during your excursions in the forest.

This worthwhile book could benefit from a few additions or changes in any future editions. A glossary of basic botanical terms is needed because the book assumes a botanical vocabulary that children and parents may not have. The Family Tree of Trees and the Classification Chart present accurate and useful information, but a few sentences of explanation would make the material much more accessible. Photos that portray each tree species in a more consistent presentation would assist making comparisons of the tree characteristics and be an improvement for readers. A good, bright photo that shows the complete outline of each given tree would help with identification. In the present edition, some photos are of only a portion of the tree and others present a good outline but are too dark to see branch detail, therefore making the illustrations less effective than they could be.

Nonetheless, The Itty Bitty Guide to Trees is a very good book to pack on a family outing in the woods. The list of hiking activities and games along with the supplemental information in the parent appendix add an important fun factor to this useful book.