| A Tree is Nice | |
| Author: | Janice May Udry |
| Illustrator: | Marc Simont |
| Cover Artist: | Marc Simont |
| Country: | United States |
| Genre: | Children's picture book |
| Publisher: | Harper and Brothers |
| Release Date: | 1956 |
| Isbn: | 0-06-443147-9 |
| Oclc: | 29000764 |
A Tree is Nice is a children's picture book written by Janice May Udry and illustrated by Marc Simont. It was published by Harper and Brothers in 1956, and won the Caldecott Medal in 1957.[1] The book tells Udry's poetic opinion on why trees are nice:
"Trees are pretty. They fill up the sky. If you have a tree, you can climb up its trunk, roll in its leaves, or hang a swing from one of its limbs. Cows and babies can nap in the shade of a tree. Birds can make nests in the branches. A tree is good to have around. A tree is nice."
For their part, Marc Simont's illustrations emphasize the child-like charm of Udry's words. Half of the book's illustrations are in full color, and the paintings of the trees shows just how nice a tree can be.[2]
In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1956 to 1965, Norma R. Fryatt wrote, "The book becomes one of the most convincing sermons on conservation yet done for young children."[3]