The Nut That Fell from the Tree

And this is the book that Sangeeta Bhadra wrote and France Cormier illustrated that tells us in a funny and roundabout way about the life cycle of an oak tree, using the cumulative pattern of a familiar folk rhyme.

The fallen acorn is quickly picked up by a rat, then just as swiftly stolen by a blue jay who swoops down and takes it away, only to have it appropriated by a Canada goose. And so on, from the goose to a raccoon (“a sneak through and through”) and then to a doe with her fawn (“peek-a-boo”). All of these more-or-less unthreatening creatures who have been tracking the acorn are in for a rude surprise in the next moment. They meet a black bear “who likes acorns too” and rears up on its hind legs while letting out a mighty “ROARRRRR!”

In the midst of the pandemonium, a skunk who has been trying to nap comes out to encounter them all. You know what happens next. “PEE-EW!” The animals appear as alarmed by the skunk as they were by the bear, and they all scurry off along a stream which runs through their woods. In the course of the escape, the doe tosses the acorn into the water. There is a slowing of both the action and the narrative. The acorn rests in the quiet dark at the bottom of the stream.

But the story is not over. At this point, there is a lovely double-spread that looks plucked from a junior nature science book showing how the next-generation oak tree comes about.

This is the sun.

This is the light that came from the sun.

This is the hill that shone in the light that came from the sun.

Our eyes can follow the trajectory of the acorn as it is thrown out of the water by a beaver that does not seem to want this foreign object cluttering up his living space.

This is the nut that lay on the hill that shone in the light that came from the hill.

This is the squirrel that buried the nut…

Fast forward a number of decades, to a full-grown oak tree spreading its branches over a new treehouse. This time, one being enjoyed by a Jack rather than a Jill. Is it possible that the granny delivering the lemonade to Jack is the Jill we met at the beginning? They do seem to be wearing similar red capes…

Bhadra has done a good job of updating the old tale, injecting humour and suspense as the verse romps along.

Cormier uses varying soft greens and browns to create the scenes of outdoor drollery populated by a cast of animals full of personality. The few human figures that appear at the beginning and the end of the book take second place to the creatures of the wild. Many of Cormier’s images have the look of cut paper. I was amused by this statement included with the publishing information on the verso of the title page: “After numerous pencil sketches (many of which were unsatisfactory and quickly destroyed), the artwork in this book was rendered digitally.”

The Nut That Fell from the Tree is a fun addition to a story time shelf or a primary nature unit in a school or public library.