On a snowy school day, introspective David pauses to look closely at a bare tree standing alone on a snowy hillside. Later, at school, he draws the tree, just as he remembers seeing it. He seems unperturbed when, one by one, his classmates ask to add things to his drawing: grass, leaves, a person, clouds, a dog, a cat, and a rainbow. In the end, David’s drawing looks nothing like the tree that inspired it, but he is nonetheless happy with the class’s picture. And back at home, David will have another opportunity to draw the tree, just as he remembers it. Torn paper and fabric collages convey both cold, wintry exteriors and the warm, busy interiors of the classroom. The short, patterned text conveys both the sense of community in the classroom and the solitary individualism of the young African American artist. (Ages 4–7)

Now in paperback, this award-winning story tells of a young African American boy who makes friends in school by letting his classmates help with his drawing of a bare winter tree.