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Children's Fiction Friendship

The Big Tree Gang

by (author) Jo Ellen Bogart

illustrated by Dean Griffiths

Publisher
Orca Book Publishers
Initial publish date
Sep 2005
Category
Friendship, Siblings, Mammals
Recommended Age
6 to 8
Recommended Grade
1 to 3
Recommended Reading age
6 to 8
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781551433455
    Publish Date
    Sep 2005
    List Price
    $6.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554697328
    Publish Date
    Sep 2005
    List Price
    $5.99

Classroom Resources

Download Teacher’s Guide

Where to buy it

Description

Reg and Keely are twins. Keely loves painting and bugs. Reg loves rocks. Keely sings crazy rhymes. Reg plays softball. Shawna and Burt are their friends. In this series of linked stories, the childrenís deep involvement with their daily activities never falters, from a bug walk, through incidents flying a kite and dividing labor at clean up time, to a chance to swim in the river on a hot summer's day.

About the authors

Jo Ellen Bogart was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in several Texas cities, but for the last 32 years, she has lived in Guelph, Ontario AKA Children's Author Central. She really enjoys running into writers and artists at the grocery store.
Jo Ellen has always been an animal lover and pet keeper, but her current pet list is down to two dogs, two frogs, and a ton of fish, most of which vacation in the backyard pond and winter in the Bogart basement, supervising the laundry.
Part of the fun Jo Ellen has in writing books for children is venturing into many different kinds of writing, from poetry and picture books to biography, non-fiction, and early readers. She has also written lots of song lyrics for kids, and is trying her hand at painting. Jo Ellen really likes to take digital pictures and play around with them on the computer.
Jo Ellen has a teaching degree from the University of Texas and has worked as a supply teacher. Though she no longer teaches, she really enjoys meeting her young readers and seeing what they have to say. Her own two kids are grown but she has a new baby grandson and is amassing stacks of books for the future reader.

 

Jo Ellen Bogart's profile page

Dean Griffiths is a popular picture book artist with more than 25 titles to his name. His many awards include the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Book Prize for Maggie Can't Wait and the Chocolate Lily Award for Ballerinas Don't Wear Glasses. Dean's 2012 title Lumpito and the Painter from Spain has been nominated for the SYRCA Shining Willow Award and was a Bank Street Best Book. His most recent book is When Emily Carr Met Woo. Dean lives in Duncan, British Columbia, with his daughter.

Dean Griffiths' profile page

Excerpt: The Big Tree Gang (by (author) Jo Ellen Bogart; illustrated by Dean Griffiths)

"Hey," Keely said to her brother, Reg. "This is a good day for a bug walk!"
"What is it with you and bugs?" he asked. "Rocks are so much better."
Keely got a serious look on her face and started to sing,
"Rocks are boring, rocks are dead.
Reg has rocks in his head."
"Rocks don't do anything," she said with a sniff.
"That’s why I like them," Reg said. "They don't fly away, they don't bite and they last a long time."

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