Hundred Feet Tall by Benjamin Scheuer (review)

In this bouncy picture book version of the title song, a bunny finds a seed with his parents in the fall, plants it in a jar, and diligently watches it grow ("With water and light," says the seed, "I will keep gaining height/ And then one day I'll stand at a hundred feet tall"). As the plant continues to sprout leaves, there's growth in the rabbit family as well, as the bunny's mother has a baby, and one day the tree is too big for its container and has to be planted in the ground. The tree's journey isn't over, however, as the bunny holds the new sibling up to its branches: "I hope that you visit and climb in my boughs,/ and together we'll stand at a hundred feet tall." The scansion sometimes becomes awkward without the musical cues to guide the read, but it's soothing readaloud choice, accentuated by Williams' masterfully cartoonish illustrations in which the bunnies sport overlarge ears, V-shaped noses, and blush marks that add up to unbearably cute critters. Vibrant colors and detailed backgrounds in watercolor combine with thick, off-black lines to encapsulate a visually pleasing setting, and astute viewers will note the seasonal indicators indicating the passage of time. Any kid who has grown a plant will understand the main character's excitement over creating something big from something small, and the sweet, empowering moral is right there in the lyrics: "If anyone says you're too small to matter, that isn't true./ The love in your heart that you share with the world makes a giant out of you." Musical notation is included at the end of the book.