Hello Beech Tree! is a 36 page children's book based on true story about a tree in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, New York.

I love how the children came together with a goal and took action.

I love trees and beech trees are incredibly beautiful. I was a little disappointed that the story didn't point out some attributes of beech trees, such as the bark of the tree being incredibly smooth and grey or that they hold their leaves through the winter and don't release them until new leaves are ready to emerge.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Teacher Created Materials for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Hello Beech Tree! in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is June 25, 2024.

An inspirational picture book not just with messages of kindness, generosity, community, friendship, and environmental education and awareness, but all based on a true story! I would love to add this one to my classroom library, and to visit both the beech tree and the Beech Class in person one day!

This love story to a beech tree is a look at children's relationships with the natural world. Classrooms of kindergartners have had the joys of playing under the local park's giant beech tree only to find it reduced to a stump one day. The lesson that not all things live forever is a hard one to explore, but this book looks at the event in a child-friendly way. The children take their loss and use it to create a plan to replace the tree with a sapling. The fundraising event is a success and a new tree is planted. Even though the old beech is gone, the children enjoy playing on the stump in the shade of the new tree.

I love this fun, whimsical book with a deep, poignant message.
The writing is beautiful, but clear enough for a 4-6 year old to understand. I love that it’s based on a true story and the message of connecting children to nature.
The drawings are perfect - bright and captivating. Thank you for this book!

As an elementary school teacher, I loved this book. It would be a great Earth Day read for the younger grades. It is a quick read so their attention won't be disrupted and it has a great lesson behind it. Also, the illustrations are beautiful.

The book was beautifully written. The author made careful word choices that were very impactful. The illustrations were simple, yet very intricate but not overstimulating. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it.

just read Hello, Beech Tree! by Rasha Hamid. #HelloBeechTree #NetGalley thanks to NetGalley!

This was a great story that will be perfect for my class! I loved the colorful illustrations, and multi-cultural names / characters. The students enjoying nature and working hard to make their park beautiful is something that we can all do!

A sweet book about kids connecting with a tree, missing a tree, and problem solving to plant a new tree. I wish there was a little more why that particular tree was so important or what makes a beech tree unique compared to other types of tree, but it doesn't add those additional layers and just keeps the story on the surface. Nothing wrong with that, just pointing it out. I will probably check out a physical copy of the book from the library, an electronic copy doesn't quite do it justice. It very well could be a classroom favorite for younger kids, depending on size and binding. Especially if you can get them outside and under a tree when reading it.

In this heartwarmIng story a kindergarten class discovers that their favorite tree has been cut down and must figure out a way to work together to honor their beloved tree while taking action to help their community. I really enjoyed this story of community, activism, and creating beautiful, green spaces for all to enjoy.

I found it very hard to rate children's books so everything is a 5 star read for me!!
I really loved this book, the illustrations are so beautiful and captivating that I found myself smiling through every page I read.
The story itself is very beautiful and inspiring <3

Environmental justice based on a true story, I absolutely love this book!

The writing is perfect, it’s probably one of the smoothest stories I’ve read, I can see kids up to. 12 years old reading this, and not getting bored at all. It directs kids from a young age to value nature around them and connect with it, offers them ways to overcome their sadness of losing a valuable tree, including uniting their efforts to collect money and plant a new tree to love. I definitely will be looking forward to more books by Rasha, her direction is inspiring.

Really enjoyed "Hello, Beech Tree" by Rasha Hamid. Beautifully illustrated and a sweet story about the love of a tree, along with collective action from schoolchildren. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

What a sweet story! I loved it. The illustrations were gorgeous and the story was perfect. It encourages littles to take action, be curious, and ask questions.
I love that this was based on a true story and even has questions at the end to get more involved and in depth. What a beautiful book!

Hello, Beech Tree is a beautiful, true story, about kids in New York developing community and relationship around a tree. The illustrations are attractive and really tie the story to nature. Kids will be inspired by the power the students were able to exert on their own. They made a better place, just by acting to love nature.

Cute story!

Loved the understanding as to why the tree was removed, then the action plan of planting another one, along with a realistic timeline.

To what extent does the love of a class go for their favorite beech tree? The tree that gave them shade and brought them joy. When they found that the tree was gone, the class gave it their all to raise money and get a new tree in its place. It’s a simple story but has a very deep message hidden beneath it.

In these times and age, when thousands of trees get cut every year to make way for development of infrastructure, one ought to ask themselves, at what cost does it come to us? The parks and the trees, these places where some core memories are formed, of both children and elderly alike, what would happen if they disappear?

You would not want that. And when humanity realizes this mistake of theirs, it would cost them a great deal to undo the damage. This simple children’s story makes one ponder, about our actions and it’s effect on environment and how it affects our children.

I think there’s a great deal to learn from this book, by means of the initiatives the beech class takes to bring a new beech tree in the old ones place.

Rating- 3.4/5

Hello, Beech Tree!
by Rasha Hamid
The book shows the young children's connection to nature near their school. When their beloved tree is taken down for safety they get together to solve the problem. The children fundraise... they work to get a new tree planted although they still have a connection to the old tree.
Showing how children can find ways to help their environment and social change.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. I don't really expect children's books to be sad, but this one kind of was. However, it also kind of needed to be in order for the lessons of this book to come out strong on the pages. Like leaves on trees, there are many seasons of life, and the children in this book experienced one of them. I definitely recommend this book!
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This was a beautiful story that reminds us to look up at the trees and say hello. The story follows a class of kindergarteners who are draw to the city’s beech tree but find it gone one afternoon. Together they rally to honor the tree and leave a green fingerprint in their city. It’s such a wonderful message to all kids that no matter how young they can make a difference in their community and school. The facts at the end of the book was fascinating as well. What a great story!!!

This is the true story of a Kindergarten class named the Beech Class, after the Beech tree that lived in the park near their school. They would visit each day to say hello and enjoy it. One day, they came out to find the Beech tree had been cut down due to illness. They decided to raise money to plant a new tree. They raised enough money to plant a new Beech tree the following year.

Great, true story with beautiful illustrations. I loved the letter from the author, the questions to think about and the how to take action section too. This would be a great read aloud for Arbor Day!