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The Child and the Tree: A Tale for Better Times
A child. A tree.
Their friendship transforms their world.
And hopefully ours as well.
In her morning exploration, a curious child discovers a little tree in the middle of a desert. So begins a tender friendship that finds delight in simplicity and wonder while both the child and tree learn and grow. In an unexpected twist, a storm uncovers parts of the ancient tree that were hidden under the sand. After the child succeeds in planting a new little forest —with the tree’s guidance— their sweet adventure comes to an end when the child’s family needs to leave.
A moving ode to natural beauty and the wisdom of our truest nature, this heartwarming story invites us to see the world from a new perspective and from a unique place. Interwoven in the fiction are some facts about the care of trees in unlikely circumstances, revealing an ever-present hope for survival.
Beautifully depicted in colorful illustrations and lyrical text, social and environmental awareness come together in a story that touches on migration, resilience, forest regeneration, and individual empowerment.
The ideal book for everyone who loves trees and hopes for better times!
Perfect for fans and frenemies Perfect for fans Great for parents and teachers looking A Spanish language version, Alma Semilla , is also available.
FREE downloadable materials include the list 365 Hugs for the Planet , coloring pages, and a teaching guide.
Their friendship transforms their world.
And hopefully ours as well.
In her morning exploration, a curious child discovers a little tree in the middle of a desert. So begins a tender friendship that finds delight in simplicity and wonder while both the child and tree learn and grow. In an unexpected twist, a storm uncovers parts of the ancient tree that were hidden under the sand. After the child succeeds in planting a new little forest —with the tree’s guidance— their sweet adventure comes to an end when the child’s family needs to leave.
A moving ode to natural beauty and the wisdom of our truest nature, this heartwarming story invites us to see the world from a new perspective and from a unique place. Interwoven in the fiction are some facts about the care of trees in unlikely circumstances, revealing an ever-present hope for survival.
Beautifully depicted in colorful illustrations and lyrical text, social and environmental awareness come together in a story that touches on migration, resilience, forest regeneration, and individual empowerment.
The ideal book for everyone who loves trees and hopes for better times!
Perfect for fans and frenemies Perfect for fans Great for parents and teachers looking A Spanish language version, Alma Semilla , is also available.
FREE downloadable materials include the list 365 Hugs for the Planet , coloring pages, and a teaching guide.
40 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2023
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Nohra Bernal
12 books13 followersNohra is a Colombian bookworm and mom of three grown sons. She works translating books while knitting her kidlit writer’s hat, promoting literacy at the public library, and stealing time to read a bit more, dance, cook falafel, and savor sunset strolls on the shore. She holds degrees from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universitat de Barcelona, and Université Lumière Lyon 2. She homeschooled until the family moved to Connecticut in 2009 for her husband’s music studies at Yale, starting life from scratch. After a zillion miracles, they settled into their first home, where they enjoy a fireplace, rabbits under the shed, and a weeping cherry tree that smiles at them.
Nohra is a member of the SCBWI.
Nohra is a member of the SCBWI.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 25, 2024
Nowadays life is fast and ugly. Things were better once, believe it or not!
Moving into our new home in 1983, all the neighbours were as young and full of hope as we were. But, alas, we had one very sick Norway Maple in our front yard. It died the year after.
Never one to give up, my wife had a chance to choose another one - a Blue Spruce - from our family friend Mike's cottage that spring in 1984.
Well, my wife brought it home, planted it front and centre in our lawn, and gave it tender loving care and attention, like the child in this book.
Mike back then was already quite old, but he loved trees - he was by profession a botanist. (He was so old, in fact, that he had once fought for the Russian Czar against the Bolsheviks.) But he loved Nature.
You don't throw out people or trees or the love they give you when you get old, so he never culled his tree farm, even in his eighties.
Well, our new tree grew. And grew. Today it rivals our neighbours' Spruce in size.
And all my wife did was to give it love and attention. As Mike had done, when he carefully helped us plant that tree.
Today in this ugly world such noble sentiments for nature are already disappearing from our vocabulary - a sad fact Ms Bernal stresses in this book!
***
One November, ten years later, old Mike grew weary of his clean, lonely, well-lit condo in the East End, and longed - as this book says, for better places and times. It was the brutal time then of going faster and better, with fewer staff in leaner economic times putting us, the younger generation and his own family beyond reach.
We all forgot about the people and places we loved, as our stress levels peaked. But Mike was isolated and alone.
So Mike decided to visit his cottage and his young tree farm one last time.
It's a lonely stretch of highway going up to Kazabazua, Quebec, and the few remaining cottage motorists were too stressed to check out that lonely car in the ditch. And in that cold vehicle, Mike had contracted pneumonia and had weakened fast.
I guess at ninety-three your death can come calling like an old dear friend. The kind who never shows up...
***
Mike died that month, but his Tree still hasn't given up in our front yard. It stands firmly at attention like an officer in Czar Nicholas' army.
Last Christmas my wife added seasonal ornaments - reminding me of gold and silver medals - to its lower boughs.
So it is fitting that Ms Bernal gifted me this book, today - Earth Day 2023 - to remind me to always watch out for the trees, animals, and friends I cherish...
BEFORE it's too late!
Moving into our new home in 1983, all the neighbours were as young and full of hope as we were. But, alas, we had one very sick Norway Maple in our front yard. It died the year after.
Never one to give up, my wife had a chance to choose another one - a Blue Spruce - from our family friend Mike's cottage that spring in 1984.
Well, my wife brought it home, planted it front and centre in our lawn, and gave it tender loving care and attention, like the child in this book.
Mike back then was already quite old, but he loved trees - he was by profession a botanist. (He was so old, in fact, that he had once fought for the Russian Czar against the Bolsheviks.) But he loved Nature.
You don't throw out people or trees or the love they give you when you get old, so he never culled his tree farm, even in his eighties.
Well, our new tree grew. And grew. Today it rivals our neighbours' Spruce in size.
And all my wife did was to give it love and attention. As Mike had done, when he carefully helped us plant that tree.
Today in this ugly world such noble sentiments for nature are already disappearing from our vocabulary - a sad fact Ms Bernal stresses in this book!
***
One November, ten years later, old Mike grew weary of his clean, lonely, well-lit condo in the East End, and longed - as this book says, for better places and times. It was the brutal time then of going faster and better, with fewer staff in leaner economic times putting us, the younger generation and his own family beyond reach.
We all forgot about the people and places we loved, as our stress levels peaked. But Mike was isolated and alone.
So Mike decided to visit his cottage and his young tree farm one last time.
It's a lonely stretch of highway going up to Kazabazua, Quebec, and the few remaining cottage motorists were too stressed to check out that lonely car in the ditch. And in that cold vehicle, Mike had contracted pneumonia and had weakened fast.
I guess at ninety-three your death can come calling like an old dear friend. The kind who never shows up...
***
Mike died that month, but his Tree still hasn't given up in our front yard. It stands firmly at attention like an officer in Czar Nicholas' army.
Last Christmas my wife added seasonal ornaments - reminding me of gold and silver medals - to its lower boughs.
So it is fitting that Ms Bernal gifted me this book, today - Earth Day 2023 - to remind me to always watch out for the trees, animals, and friends I cherish...
BEFORE it's too late!
June 9, 2023
With simple text and beautiful art, the husband-and-wife team of Nohra Bernal (words) and Ruben Rodriguez Ferreira (art) have created a moving story about conservation, immigration, and Tikkun Olam (the Jewish concept of saving the world). When a girl finds a single tree in the desert, she takes on the responsibility of caring for it and propagating it until it is time for her and her family to move on to their new beginnings. And the tree responds in kind. Recommended for all children who are interested in nature and growing things.
April 25, 2025
With love, heart, and just the right touch of wonder, this is a read to get lost in and enjoy again and again.
A little child is in the desert and discovers a small tree in the middle of the sand, all by itself with nothing around. The child cares for the tree, and they share lovely moments. After a large sandstorm, the child worries about the tree and rushes to make sure it survived. What the child finds is something it never expected...and it's only the beginning of so much more.
This is one of those rare books to snuggle up with and remember long after its put down. The writing is very simple, which seems, maybe, a little too much so, at first, but it's perfect. This is a simple tale with so much depth and wonder. The desert setting also adds a sense of exotic uniqueness and reminds readers how vast the world really is in its variety. It reminds of other cultures and countries without holding it up front and center. Instead, it feels natural and lays the foundation for the story nicely.
The illustrations are lovely and give each scene the needed emotion and setting. The colors match the mood. The relationship between the child and the tree is brought across with warmth and wholesome goodness. And this is kept front and center the entire time.
There's a light hint of magic as the tree and the child converse, but it's subtle. This allows the message of friendship to shine as well as the idea that change can lead to something even more wonderful to hit just right.
It's great for a read-aloud in group and individual settings, or is one for readers to visit themselves when they have a better grip on their words.
A little child is in the desert and discovers a small tree in the middle of the sand, all by itself with nothing around. The child cares for the tree, and they share lovely moments. After a large sandstorm, the child worries about the tree and rushes to make sure it survived. What the child finds is something it never expected...and it's only the beginning of so much more.
This is one of those rare books to snuggle up with and remember long after its put down. The writing is very simple, which seems, maybe, a little too much so, at first, but it's perfect. This is a simple tale with so much depth and wonder. The desert setting also adds a sense of exotic uniqueness and reminds readers how vast the world really is in its variety. It reminds of other cultures and countries without holding it up front and center. Instead, it feels natural and lays the foundation for the story nicely.
The illustrations are lovely and give each scene the needed emotion and setting. The colors match the mood. The relationship between the child and the tree is brought across with warmth and wholesome goodness. And this is kept front and center the entire time.
There's a light hint of magic as the tree and the child converse, but it's subtle. This allows the message of friendship to shine as well as the idea that change can lead to something even more wonderful to hit just right.
It's great for a read-aloud in group and individual settings, or is one for readers to visit themselves when they have a better grip on their words.
May 3, 2023
Uplifting! Hopeful! Inspiring! Informative! Magical for all ages! Get it!
Nohra Bernal has done it again. Our grandchildren loved her first books, and I know they are going to be thrilled with this one. Bernal has the art of knowing how to present a tale that will appeal on multiple levels. The uniquely warm and winning illustrations will engage and stimulate conversation with those not yet ready to read by themselves. Early readers are likely to feel satisfaction at being able to relate to the courage and resilience of the main character and follow the story on their own.
But it’s the book’s appealing author’s note which refines its ecological message for older children and that won over these 70-ish grandparents. In more advanced vocabulary, it expands the metaphor of sowing seeds to embrace the goodness and care that can repair and transform the world. In linking the book’s themes to her personal story and previous work with displaced families, Bernal cites Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein as influences, and offers useful references for further reading about reforestation.
We bought it for our grandchildren but will also be gifting it to a friend who is a particularly enlightened teacher. As a bonus, the book comes with a free teaching guide and coloring pages.
Nohra Bernal has done it again. Our grandchildren loved her first books, and I know they are going to be thrilled with this one. Bernal has the art of knowing how to present a tale that will appeal on multiple levels. The uniquely warm and winning illustrations will engage and stimulate conversation with those not yet ready to read by themselves. Early readers are likely to feel satisfaction at being able to relate to the courage and resilience of the main character and follow the story on their own.
But it’s the book’s appealing author’s note which refines its ecological message for older children and that won over these 70-ish grandparents. In more advanced vocabulary, it expands the metaphor of sowing seeds to embrace the goodness and care that can repair and transform the world. In linking the book’s themes to her personal story and previous work with displaced families, Bernal cites Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein as influences, and offers useful references for further reading about reforestation.
We bought it for our grandchildren but will also be gifting it to a friend who is a particularly enlightened teacher. As a bonus, the book comes with a free teaching guide and coloring pages.
August 25, 2024
This is a heartwarming story with depth beyond the friendship between an ancient tree and a child. The illustrations show so much of the tale that the sparse text left for the artist. This is an excellent choice for adults to read as a gentle way to introduce both the topics of being a steward for the planet and how some people live in temporary homes due to many reasons. The backmatter will help adults answer questions as well as seek their own answers.
June 3, 2023
In this simple yet powerful tale of a child's friendship with a tree, Nohra Bernal's economy of well-chosen words combine with Rubén Rodríguez Ferreira's vibrant illustrations to offer a thoughtful story about hope, healing and home. If you want to raise your child's awareness about immigration issues and the plight of refugees, this is a thought-provoking book to read and ponder.
May 6, 2023
Este cuento simplemente me llenó el corazón de esperanza. Me llevó de la mano por un tobogán de sentimientos. Es bellísimo
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews