orion early reader the little nut tree cover

The Orion Early Reader series is brilliant for early and emerging readers. We have reviewed some other titles from this series before, both the blue and red levels (listed at the end of the post), and I’m always very happy with them.

The Little Nut Tree is an early reader version of the picture book by Carnegie award winning author Sally Gardner, based on the well known traditional nursery rhyme. I remember the rhyme from my own childhood and it translated over into a reading book format very well here.

The Little Nut Tree is a blue level early reader, which is the easier of the two early reader bands from Orion.

The language used is quite manageable for most children of 4 or 5 years and there is not too much text on each page.

orion early reader the little nut tree

They are plenty of illustrations as well as text, to keep young children interested. Both the text and illustrations are done by Sally Gardner.

orion early reader the little nut tree

For those who are not familiar with the traditional rhyme, The Little Nut Tree tells the story of a little girl who was given a little nut tree on her birthday, which ends up bearing golden fruit. It become known far and wide. A princess came from Spain and demanded the tree – which the girl sadly gave away to her. She found a golden twig which had been left behind and it gave her the ability to fly! When it was bedtime she kept that twig in a pot, and woke up to find it had sprouted into a new little nut tree!

Although I knew the rhyme in my childhood, Mr Z was actually not familiar with it before. So for him, it was a new story that he had not come across before. Mr Z is 5 and was able to read the whole book easily without any help. I was really pleased to see this as he’s improved a lot since the first time he tried the Orion Early Reader books!

orion early reader the little nut tree

It’s a lovely book and it’s great to see these traditional rhymes still being enjoyed by children of this generation.

I had a little nut tree

Nothing would it bear

But a silver nutmeg

And a golden pear

 

The King of Spain’s daughter

Came to visit me

All for the sake

Of my little nut tree

 

I skipped over water

I danced over sea

All the birds in the air

Couldn’t catch me

See more of our Orion Early Reader book reviews here:

Miranda the Explorer and Mondays at Monster School.

Shumba’s Big Adventure

Algy’s Amazing Adventures in the Arctic and Poppy the Pirate Dog’s Shipmate

Do you remember the rhyme of the Little Nut Tree? Do your children know it? Let me know in the comments!