Tap the Magic Tree

Christie Matheson is the author and illustrator of the acclaimed Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star. She plants tiny seeds in her garden and in pots on her windowsills in San Francisco and New England.

"Proves you don't need apps for interactivity. [A] child makes the seasons change by following Matheson's instructions; each turned page shows the result. You can imagine this book wearing out after repeated tapping, swishing, counting and shaking, but you won't ever have to recharge its battery." -- New York Times "The conceit of this clever picture book is that the changing seasons occur as if by magic. Readers are shown a bare brown tree and are implored to, "Tap it once. Turn the page to see." As they do, green leaves appear...Simply a treasure to behold." -- School Library Journal "Matheson invites readers to take an apple tree through a seasonal round using taps and page turns in place of touch-screens... A universal theme, developed in an unusually clean, simple presentation...and, at least, with no need for batteries." -- Kirkus Reviews "Take an apple tree through the seasons by tapping, brushing, shaking, and clapping... It's a good on-the-way-to-bed activity." -- Publishers Weekly "Although simple in presentation with ample white space, the artwork provides a glorious rendition of the four seasons of a tree. No iPad is needed to make this interactive book totally satisfying." -- Booklist