Book Drop 2025
Book Drop 2025!
Our Book Drop book this year is ‘The Oak Tree’ by Julia Donalson. This is a story spanning a thousand years, over which time an acorn grows into a mighty oak. The tree witnesses a whole sweep of history, from the Viking invasion to a modern-day teddybears’ picnic, and on each page we see children playing different games around it, as well as the animals, birds and insects whose lives depend on the tree. Victoria Sandoy’s pictures beautifully capture the changing ages and seasons.
All About the Author
Please follow the link to read all about Julia Donaldson.
Front and back cover
Before you start reading explore the front page.
What can you see?
Who do you think the children are?
Can you find an oak tree outside or on a walk?
Can you draw your own oak tree?
Now read the blurb!
What else grows?
On the inside page who is sat on the swing?
Turn the page to the next illustration – what might be happening here? How do you think the animals are feeling?
Pages 1-6
What began to grow a thousand years ago?
What rhyming pairs can you spot?
What do the children carve into the tree's bark?
Have you ever expressed your feelings with tears?
What animal has also made its mark on the oak tree?
Pages 7-10
What does the word stealthily mean?
What do the children do with the acorns?
What group of people arrive near the oak tree?
Look at the illustration on page 10, what have the children made ?
Can you make your own long boat out of natural materials?
Pages 11-14
How many more years have passed?
What has the tree become for little hands and feet?
What do the Tudors do around the tree?
How do the Tudors feel? Use the illustration to help support your answer.
Pages 15-19
What does the word hollow mean?
Why do you think the king is hiding in the tree?
What animals live in the oak tree at night?
What happens to the oak tree?
What has started to grow on the oak tree?
Pages 20-24
Why is the tree white?
Look at the snowman - What have the children used for the buttons?
Footprints have been left in the snow, which animals have left these footprints?
Can you explain what has caused the tree to topple to the ground?
Pages 25-end
What happens at the very end of the story?
Can you tell me 5 new and interesting facts about an oak tree?
Explore the book further - Book Drop Bingo!
We hope you enjoy the book as much as we have! To explore the book further, why not take part in 'Book Drop Bingo'? A series of creative tasks that you can complete to enter into our Year 1 Book Drop Draw. Print off the Bingo card below and tick a task when you have completed it. You can complete a task in your Homework book or use Seesaw to upoad or create it (just remember to save it to your Book Drop folder). To enter the draw, bring your completed card to school by Friday 12th December. If all of these tasks are completed to a high standard by December, you will be entered into a prize draw!
