In this delightful tale of cooperation and conservation, the residents of an old tree that has been marked with a huge X work together to save their leafy home. Includes a pop-up tree on the final spread. Full color.

"Brown's (Ten Seeds) magnificent watercolor and acrylic pictures are the saving grace of an otherwise ponderous story — which, despite the subtitle, is really more about cooperation than the virtues of being green. A bevy of anthropomorphized critters (prolific Mrs. Rabbit, grumpy Mr. Badger, thuggish Mr. Squirrel and so forth) who live in Old Tree discover the importance of the neighborly spirit only after their home is threatened with destruction. Together they successfully thwart two woodsmen, then celebrate their triumph with a party commemorated by an elaborate pop-up on the final spread. The prose manages to be both long-winded and breathless, and the set-up to the resolution feels cumbersome. But Brown's illustrations, which exude an old-fashioned sense of character and environment, transform the reading experience. Her evocation of the country setting and her manner of individuating each character evince a fine wit. Professor Owl, for example, cuts a Jamesian figure as he wearily stands in the doorway of his sunlit study, while Maggie Magpie's eyes shine with manic greed as she surveys her nest filled with 'shiny, sparkly' purloined objects (she sports a gaudy necklace, too). The oversize format shows off the illustrations to their best advantage, allowing for plenty of action as well as attention to naturalistic details. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Cross-species cooperation helps to save a leafy home in an endearing, pastoral tale that features a final pop-up surprise.

Deep in the forest one morning, Pigeon Post is going about her usual business when she notices a huge X on the trunk of the old tree. All the tree's residents have a different theory about whom is to blame, until Captain Crow solves the mystery — but can they stop their quarreling before it's too late? Ruth Brown's delightful tale of cooperation and conservation, complemented by her luminous illustrations, is sure to engage readers from the start of the story to the wonderful pop-up tree on the final spread.