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New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom

  • Photo by Lyndsey Garber
  • Photo by NM Department of Agriculture
  • Photo by NM Department of Agriculture
  • Photo by Jay Hill
  • Photo by NM Department of Agriculture
  • Photo by Lyndsey Garber

Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix


Companion Resource

Zee Grows a Tree

On the morning little Zee Cooper is born, a Douglas-fir seedling emerges from the nursery bed at her family's Christmas tree farm. As Zee and the tree grow up together, they experience many of the same milestones. When Zee starts preschool, her tree is ready to start life outside the nursery. As Zee outgrows all her clothes, her tree grows taller, too. When Zee gets a whole new look for kindergarten, her tree gets a spiffy transformation as well. And as the years go on, Zee takes loving care of her tree, watering it through heat waves and protecting it from winter winds. Combining interesting details about how trees are grown and cared for on a farm with the sweet story of a friendship between a girl and her special tree, Zee Grows a Tree offers a blend of fiction and nonfiction that will draw the interest of young nature lovers everywhere. 

Author
Elizabeth Rusch
Lessons Associated with this Resource