2013 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College Tu B'Shevat is a Jewish holiday known as "New Year for Trees" or "Birthday of the Trees," a day that celebrates trees and taking care of our environment. In this story, which takes place on Tu B'Shevat, a little girl named Joni presents her favorite climbing tree with a special birthday gift.

Kar-Ben Read-Aloud eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting to bring eBooks to life! It’s Tu B’Shevat—Jewish Arbor Day—and a diverse group of children work together to plant a tree. After digging a hole, placing the tree, filling the hole with dirt, patting the ground, and spraying the garden hose, the children celebrate by wishing the tree a happy birthday, and then look forward to when it blossoms on Tu B’Shevat the following year.

When Jack goes to sea, his parents watch as the tree planted at his birth reflects his fortunes and misfortunes.

Rhyming text and illustrations outline the process by which latex is extracted from trees to make balloons.

Trees were central to Henry David Thoreau’s creativity as a writer, his work as a naturalist, his thought, and his inner life. His portraits of them were so perfect, it was as if he could see the sap flowing beneath their bark. When Thoreau wrote that the poet loves the pine tree as his own shadow in the air, he was speaking about himself. In short, he spoke their language. In this original book, Richard Higgins explores Thoreau’s deep connections to trees: his keen perception of them, the joy they gave him, the poetry he saw in them, his philosophical view of them, and how they fed his soul. His lively essays show that trees were a thread connecting all parts of Thoreau’s being—heart, mind, and spirit. Included are one hundred excerpts from Thoreau’s writings about trees, paired with over sixty of the author’s photographs. Thoreau’s words are as vivid now as they were in 1890, when an English naturalist wrote that he was unusually able to “to preserve the flashing forest colors in unfading light.” Thoreau and the Language of Trees shows that Thoreau, with uncanny foresight, believed trees were essential to the preservation of the world.

From the creator of Peanut Butter & Cupcake comes a birthday book starring everyone's favorite dessert! What's a cupcake to do when she needs to plan her birthday party? In this hilarious, kid-friendly homage to food and birthdays, Cupcake runs through tons of ideas while her best friend, Blueberry Muffin, finds reasons why they won't work: Soup gets seasick; Donut melts in the sun; someome might get squashed during musical chairs; and Cupcake is not very good at limbo (her icing might get sliced off!). Just as Cupcake is ready to crumble, Blueberry Muffin has one last idea that just might save the day. With laugh-out-loud visual gags (like a band made up of beans--the musical fruit, of course), this book is sure to put a birthday smile on any kid's face (and on adult faces as well). Praise for Happy Birthday, Cupcake!: "As in his earlier picture book, Border's characters are skillfully crafted food items with basic wire limbs arranged in simple landscapes....Preschoolers will be delighted with the visual mayhem."--Kirkus Reviews Praise for Peanut Butter & Cupcake: "Border’s witty food comedy will lure children who are hungry for clever visual entertainment."--Publishers Weekly "[Z]any creative photographs. [A] read-aloud hit."--School Library Journal

A spirited young girl struggles to get a much-loved mimosa tree for her birthday in this delightful, multigenerational story, ideal for Arbor Day and Earth Day! Emmy loves trees. She loves oak trees with acorns. She loves pine trees with cones, and willow trees with swishy branches. But best of all, Emmy loves the mimosa tree that grows in her grandmother's pasture. So when Emmy decides she wants a mimosa tree of her own for her birthday, she is saddened to learn many garden stores only sell ornamental trees like plum or pear or tulip trees. Emmy is crushed―until she discovers that the answer to her problem is growing right before her eyes! Mary Ann Rodman's joyful story—packed with environmental, independence, and problem-solving themes—will appeal to nature- and tree-lovers as well as those seeking great spring read alouds. Illustrator Tatjana Mai-Wyss's whimsical watercolor and collage artwork captures Emmy's exuberant personality and the story's hopeful ending.