A piece of children's literature can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning science; however, it takes more than reading about a topic to qualify as "doing science." Inspired by the book, "The Gift of the Tree", the author developed an in-depth interdisciplinary lesson for her sixth-grade students without diluting the science. Through this lesson, students read and experience the concepts in the story in two ways--through a macro lens to see how these plants and animals are interconnected, and through a micro lens to learn specific hands-on science skills, such as making inexpensive nonglass slides, looking through the microscope, and observing and recording parts of the tree and other plants. (Contains 1 figure.)