Keenly aware of the cycles of the natural world, Ehlert (Waiting for Wings) focuses her eye for vibrant hues and her ear for fascinating rhythms on a cherry tree and its many fruitful characteristics. An unseen child narrator is dubious when Dad says that the large tree in the family's yard is "a pie tree." ("I've never seen pie growing on trees. Wouldn't that be something?") But as the seasons pass, the child observes a bustle of activity in the tree at every turn: honeybees buzz around flowery cherry blossoms, birds nest in the branches, caterpillars hatch from chrysalises-and, finally, the red fruit ripens, attracting birds and other al fresco diners ("It's a cherry feast!"). By book's end, Ehlert moves from the outdoors in, depicting how the family harvests and prepares the cherries for a luscious pie (measuring out ingredients, which add up to a complete recipe-except for the crust). In this clever blend of field guide, artist's notebook and cookbook, the author/illustrator creates a series of intriguing seek-and-find collages composed of rich acrylics and pastels, cut, handmade papers and, yes, real cherry tree branches. Throughout, an economy of words and the narrator's chipper tone keep Ehlert's vision on track. Extending the basic elements of the story, she challenges readers to locate various creatures or objects on each page, prompted by small type that follows the pattern, "I see.... But no pie." All in all, a delicious outing. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

K-Gr 3-This engaging story with gorgeous artwork opens, "This tree was here when we moved in. Dad says it's a pie tree-." Readers watch as it changes from bud to flower to fruit bearing. Ehlert uses a variety of mediums in her collage illustrations, including acrylic and watercolor paints, colored pencils, crayons and pastels, and several types of paper. Each spread is an amazing work of art on its own, filled with beautiful birds, lush cherries, and vividly colored scenery. Pictures are exquisitely designed and laid out. Each spread includes a piece of the ongoing story (in large, bold font) and an "I spy" section that details items for children to look for (in smaller type, using more extensive vocabulary). This book can serve independent readers at several levels, and would make a wonderful read-aloud as well. It also supports curriculum units on different types of birds, seasonal changes, and cooking. An easy-to-follow recipe is also incorporated into the story. The attractive cover has actual steam holes cut into the pie, making it a visual and tactile treat. Children will clamor for Pie in the Sky.-Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr. 2. In this well-designed picture book, an unseen child wonders about what his father calls the pie tree. Through dialogue, the child observes the tree; in the summer it bears fruit: cherries for the birds and raccoons and also for pie (recipe included). The main text, short and well suited to reading aloud, appears throughout the book in large, white letters that show up well against the background colors. In the first half of the book, a few lines of poetry printed in small type appear on each spread, commenting on the child's observations and always ending with, But no pie. With bright colors and playful touches such as holes on the cover art that represent steam holes in a pie's crust, the book has an inviting look that makes its natural history and cooking lessons more appealing. The vibrant collage illustrations, made with an eclectic combination of materials--from paint and handmade papers to sheet metal, wires, and tree branches--celebrate the colors and simplified shapes of birds, insects, the cherry tree, and, yes, kitchen implements. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist

Mystified by a parental comment that the tree out in the new back yard is a "pie tree," a child keeps watch through the seasons, noting the successive appearance of buds, leaves, flowers, visiting wildlife, and finally luscious cherries. Color conscious as always, Ehlert has the young narrator systematically note hues--"I see a blue jay feather with black stripes and a white tip. But no pie"--in typographical undertones beneath the larger main text. Once the cherries that have survived the birds and squirrels are picked, Dad turns them step by step into that promised pie--not in enough detail (particularly in the making of the crust) to be a true recipe, but mouth-watering all the same. Die-cut holes and half-pages disappear after the first spread, which makes them seem more of a come-on than an enhancing design feature, but Ehlert's typically vivid collage art shines through such tricks. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

(Preschool, Primary) In luscious primary colors, collagist Ehlert struts her stuff. To handmade papers adorned with paint, pencils, oil pastels, and crayons, Ehlert adds wood, metal, wire, wax paper, and cherry tree branches. On the cover, three orioles fitted out of these materials peck at a corrugated-cardboard-fluted cherry pie. Bright red endpapers show through six die-cut holes in the pie's center. The ""pie in the sky"" fancy continues throughout as a child documents, through the changing seasons, his observations of the ""pie"" tree (otherwise unidentified) in the backyard. The child's cataloged items--including ladybugs and butterflies, fireflies and raccoons--vibrate with brilliantly colored imaginative whimsy, yet each page concludes with a disappointed ""But no pie."" Until ""at last Dad says it's time for us to pick cherries."" As parent and child make the pie, Ehlert cleverly incorporates arecipe for cherry pie into the pictures devoted to its assembly--but no homemade endeavor could match the delectable design of these pages. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.