A playful, lively story about one acorn's difficult path to becoming a tree.

This is the house where Jill plays. This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays. This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays ...

In the style of “The House That Jack Built,” here's a cumulative, rhyming tale that follows an acorn on an arduous journey, as one animal after another steals it, drops it or tosses it, sending the acorn inside an old shoe, high above the trees and down to the bottom of a stream. But in the end, the rat, goose, bear and more turn out to simply be the conduits that help the acorn eventually land on a hillside, where the warm sun helps it grow into another grand oak tree, which now holds the house where Jack (Jill's grandson) plays.

In this lively story, Sangeeta Bhadra offers a playful depiction of the circle of life. The jaunty rhythm of the text (“This is the raccoon, a sneak through and through / that tricked the goose with a bird's-eye view . . .”) and the use of fun-to-say words --- like, “hullabaloooo” and “pee-ew” --- make for a picture book that begs to be read aloud. France Cormier's richly colored illustrations add energy and continuity to the story, as the perspective zooms in and out and dotted lines follow the acorn's path. This book could easily spark discussions about plant life cycles, animal habitats and food chains.

Sangeeta Bhadra studied biology in university, but couldn't resist her lifelong love of writing stories for children. Sam's Pet Temper is her first picture book. She lives in Brampton, Ontario.

Sangeeta Bhadra's profile page

France Cormier dessine depuis toujours. À la maternelle, elle épuise ses crayons de cire et refuse de jouer à la poupée. Aujourd’hui, elle compte à son actif les illustrations de plus d’une quinzaine de titres jeunesse de maisons d’édition québécoises et canadiennes. France s’inspire de la nature et adore jouer avec la composition de formes et de couleurs.

France Cormier's profile page

• Short-listed, Jean Throop Book Award, IODE

... a fun addition to a story time shelf ...

CM Magazine

Bhadra delivers a witty story full of humor and nuance that can be read independently, shared during story time, used in concert with lessons about the life cycle of living things, or even for a sturdy look at life's hardships.

School Library Journal

... humorous ...

Kirkus Reviews

Bhadra's lively cumulative text is beautifully matched by France's delightful pencil illustrations.

Globe and Mail