Alison Formento's first picture book This Tree Counts! (Whitman 2010), proves that trees are for more than just climbing. Alison's second book, the board book This Tree, 1, 2, 3, was released in 2011. She has written several plays, short stories, and poetry and was a co-writer of the romance/thriller, Pandora (WeBooks, 2008). With a background in journalism, Alison has written for several publications including The New York Times, The Writer, and Parenting. She grew up in Arkansas and now resides in New Jersey and besides writing everyday and enjoying life with her husband and kids, Alison dreams of someday building a spectacular tree house. She donates a portion of her book sales to AmericanForests.org to help plant more trees.
Selected Reviews of Alison Formento's Books
This Tree Counts
Alison Formento
Can a tree talk? Yes it can, if you listen carefully. This is the question author Formento asks of her readers. In the back of Oak Lane School, one tree stands. Mr. Tate's students decide that the lonely tree needs some friends so they decide to plant more trees. Mr. Tate tells his students that trees can speak if one listens carefully to them. Just look at the owl who sits on its branches, and the spiders that spin their webs on a tree's limbs. And look at the four robins sitting in their nest high up in the tree. And if one looks and listens carefully, you can see the butterflies building their cocoons and the ants crawling along the tree's bark. This is how a tree talks. Mr. Tate then asks his students to explain why trees are great. The students answer, because they make shade, they send out air to breathe, and their wood is used to make furniture. Finally, Mr. Tate tells the children that they are ready to plant ten baby trees. One of the students waves to the lonely big tree and says, "Have fun with your new friends." This is a lovely book filled with colorful illustrations. 2010, Albert Whitman & Company, $16.99. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Della A. Yannuzzi (Children's Literature).
This Tree, 1, 2, 3
Alison Formento
The abridged board book version of This Tree Counts! depicts numbers from 1 to 10, beginning with "1 owl waits for the moon" through "10 worms glide." Other animals who reside in and on the tree include spiders spinning, squirrels playing, robins singing, caterpillars inching, ants marching, crickets chirping, flies buzzing, and ladybugs climbing. Mr. Tate (not named in this text) and four multicultural students are shown hugging the tree in the beginning. Then the named animals are shown interacting with various parts of the large tree. At the end, one of the students announces, "This tree counts!" The illustrations are clear and colorful enabling young children to see and enumerate the objects on their own. The board book format makes this a good choice for toddlers who are beginning to learn their numbers. They will soon be "reading" the book independently with anyone willing to sit down and listen. 2011, Albert Whitman & Company, $7.99. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
Alison's presentations are designed for PreK to 8th grade and blend storytelling and language arts with trees, fun and wit. Children are invited to help make "Human Trees" and act as editors to choose the next story for Alison to write. For third grade and older, Alison offers writing workshops to share her "Idea Seeds" process. She shares her journalism experience, structure and tools for creating stories. A guided writing assignment will inspire children to use their own creative writing seeds.
To learn more about Alison Formento and her publications please visit www.alisonashleyformento.com.
If you would like to read more reviews, see the awards, honors, prizes and reading list entries for these and other titles, as well as reading measurement program data, lesson plans or teaching guides, please sign up for a free trial of the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. CLCD trial