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The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank's Window
Told from the perspective of the tree outside Anne Frank's window—this book introduces her story to a young audience.
The tree in the courtyard was a horse chestnut. Her leaves were green stars; her flowers foaming cones of white and pink. Seagulls flocked to her shade. She spread roots and reached skyward in peace.
The tree watched a little girl, who played and laughed and wrote in a diary. When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the girl peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away—and when her father returned after the war, alone.
The tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace.
The tree in the courtyard was a horse chestnut. Her leaves were green stars; her flowers foaming cones of white and pink. Seagulls flocked to her shade. She spread roots and reached skyward in peace.
The tree watched a little girl, who played and laughed and wrote in a diary. When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the girl peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away—and when her father returned after the war, alone.
The tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2016
7 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Gottesfeld
86 books43 followersHONOR FLIGHT (Candlewick, March 3, 2026). So far, four starred reviews from PW, SLJ, Booklist, and Kirkus.
Too many of America's veterans have never had the means or opportunity to visit their monuments in Washington, DC. Nor did many of them, particularly from the Vietnam era, get the homecoming they deserved.
The Honor Flight program, begun by volunteers in 2005 on the most modest of scales, changed all of that. Today, the Honor Flight Network is massive, and has flown more than 300,000 vets on free trips to DC, each of them accompanied by a volunteer (and paying) Guardian.
I was a Guardian on such a flight in April, 2023. This book is about this remarkable effort, told first person in the voice of an unnamed veteran. That I could reunite for it with Matt Tavares, the illustrator of our TWENTY-ONE STEPS: GUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Candlewick, 2021). Well, as the last line of the book says, "It was an honor."
Too many of America's veterans have never had the means or opportunity to visit their monuments in Washington, DC. Nor did many of them, particularly from the Vietnam era, get the homecoming they deserved.
The Honor Flight program, begun by volunteers in 2005 on the most modest of scales, changed all of that. Today, the Honor Flight Network is massive, and has flown more than 300,000 vets on free trips to DC, each of them accompanied by a volunteer (and paying) Guardian.
I was a Guardian on such a flight in April, 2023. This book is about this remarkable effort, told first person in the voice of an unnamed veteran. That I could reunite for it with Matt Tavares, the illustrator of our TWENTY-ONE STEPS: GUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Candlewick, 2021). Well, as the last line of the book says, "It was an honor."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
March 28, 2016
I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't see the point of this book. Kids should read Anne's diary when they are ready to do so. Almost a decade ago I wrote a blog post questioning the need to introduce the Holocaust to very young children and I still feel that way. Then trying to soften the message via a fable-like tree-perspective, really really doesn't work for me. (Fable-like Holocaust stories are tricky things --- there's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which does not work for me at all and Anna and the Swallow Man and The Book Thief, both of which do.)
May 16, 2017
Although I'm not sure how I might use this book in a classroom, whether as a gentle introduction to the Holocaust and the story of Anne Frank or simply as a story of resilience, depending on the age of the students, I was moved by the story's perspective and wondered what that horse chestnut tree must have witnessed. The book covers very gently the arrival of the Nazis and war and then shares a few important moments that occurred in the attic. The fact that the tree survived for 172 years, only to die in 2010. Interestingly, as the text and images reveal, the tree continues to live on through its saplings, planted all over the world, just as the words of Anne Frank, written in that familiar diary still speak to readers today. The illustrations, created with brown ink on watercolor paper, are simply stunning, allowing the trees branches, leaves, and blossoms to fill the landscape, almost hiding the Annex where Anne and her family lived in secrecy for years. This picture book touched me for several reasons, partly because of its reminder of the power of someone's words to live on, long after their creator has died, but also because it brought to mind all the wonderful human beings unfeelingly destroyed during the Holocaust. This one encourages reflection on the events of the past. The afterword clarifies any missing holes in the narrative such as the identity of this vivacious girl who spent so much time writing.
February 21, 2016
I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book - a look at Anne Frank's time in the annex from the point of view of the chestnut tree outside the attic window - but I certainly wasn't expecting to turn into a sniffling mess while reading. While I wouldn't use this as a text to introduce Anne Frank and her story, it is a beautifully done addition to spark conversation and further connection. Peter McCarty's illustrations are (unsurprisingly) gorgeous and moving.
April 28, 2021
Having told this story from the POV of the tree was a heart-wrenching bit of brilliance. Giving children (and adults) a little distance allows them to take in the gravity of the story most effectively. It's perfect for audiences who may need that space to process such a tragic event but still provide the impact it deserves. One of my favorite discoveries this year.
March 18, 2016
I am probably going to be in the minority on this book but it was not effective for me. I am not generally a fan of anthropomorphism and in this case I felt that it served to distance the reader from the realities of the situation. I understand that this is intended for young children and that the entirety of what was happening is too much but this softened it so much that I think kids will be either bewildered or put the situation down to the mysterious abstract of war. It was far more than war of course but instead a systematic annihilation based on racial hatred and xenophobia - the very thing playing out in politics today - and I can't help but feel that this approach in the book downplays what was going on.
I did like the information about the seedlings being planted in places in America. That was something I didn't know.
I did like the information about the seedlings being planted in places in America. That was something I didn't know.
September 10, 2016
A picture book centered on the years Anne Frank hid in the attic as told from the viewpoint of a tree. The premise works better than it sounds. The atypical narrator allows the story to be told from a “big picture” perspective that softens the violence of historical events for young readers. The evocative brown ink on watercolor paper illustrations work better than the narration at telling a sad and haunting story. There is an useful afterword that indicates that the tree actually existed and that saplings and seedpods have been planted all over the world including some important historical sites in the United States.
March 23, 2016
Wonderful retelling of Anne Frank's story, in a simple way through the viewpoint of the tree outside the annex where she lived.
March 23, 2016
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Tree in the Courtyard by Jeff Gottesfeld is a unique way to teach children about the Holocaust. Told from the perspective of the tree that sat outside Anne Frank’s window, the tree recounts its life and the smiling girl who lived in the attic with her family, the scary bombs, and how the little girl never came back. Beautifully illustrated this book kept my five year old’s attention (not an easy feat) and he even remembered the story the next day asking questions about the girl and the tree.
Personally, Anne Frank’s diary was one of my first nonfiction books and will always be a favorite. I read it as a part of history/literature class in the 8th grade. And yes I cried my eyes out thinking of a girl my own age facing the fate she did. This recreation focuses on the tree just outside her window, which she mentions a few times in her book. The most notable quote Jeff Gottesfeld includes as the opening:
The Tree in the Courtyard by Jeff Gottesfeld is a unique way to teach children about the Holocaust. Told from the perspective of the tree that sat outside Anne Frank’s window, the tree recounts its life and the smiling girl who lived in the attic with her family, the scary bombs, and how the little girl never came back. Beautifully illustrated this book kept my five year old’s attention (not an easy feat) and he even remembered the story the next day asking questions about the girl and the tree.
Personally, Anne Frank’s diary was one of my first nonfiction books and will always be a favorite. I read it as a part of history/literature class in the 8th grade. And yes I cried my eyes out thinking of a girl my own age facing the fate she did. This recreation focuses on the tree just outside her window, which she mentions a few times in her book. The most notable quote Jeff Gottesfeld includes as the opening:
“The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening in the dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so move and entranced that we couldn’t speak.” ~Anne FrankThe voice of the story is kind, innocent and easily relatable for children. It tells the chestnut tree’s life a little at a time and reveals the horrors of World War II through the eyes of the tree. I thought it was a good way of describing such horrors to children as the tree didn’t understand and “was never the same” after the war. The ending itself was bittersweet because the tree lives on in the many saplings that have been planted around the world (true story!) and my son asked when we would go see the tree’s children. So of course I’m now looking up where they are so we can make a trip some day.
March 16, 2016
This is a touching story narrated by the horse chestnut tree that stood outside the attic where Anne Frank and her family were hidden away during the holocaust. The illustrations are beautiful and set the historical mood using brown ink on watercolor paper as the medium. Although this is categorized as a work of fiction, the events discussed align with the writings found in Anne Frank's diary. The tree itself really did exist and the seedlings from this tree have been planted in many historical places of significance throughout the United States, including the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.
March 7, 2016
Remarkable
March 9, 2016
The story of a horse chestnut tree that was in the courtyard where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II.
July 14, 2016
A tree in the courtyard outside Anne Frank's annex tells her story from its perspective. This would be a way to introduce the story of Anne Frank to young children.
March 25, 2016
Point of view of the chestnut tree; good picture book recommendation for 5th graders; historical fiction
April 30, 2016
A very subtle way of introducing the Holocaust and to begin a discussion of resilience. The fact that a children's book could bring tears to my eyes is a wonderful testament to the writing.
May 9, 2017
Oh wow. This was beautiful. I also learned something I had no idea about. I love that the tree's legacy continues to live on as well.
October 28, 2018
นิทานภาพฟีลหม่น ผู้เล่าเรื่องคือต้นเชสนัทในสวนบ้านที่ครอบครัวของแอนน์ แฟรงค์หลบซ่อนอยู่ มีทั้งรอยยิ้ม เสียงหัวเราะ และความเศร้าเมื่อพวกเขาถูกจับตัวไป เมื่อสงครามสิ้นสุด ผู้ที่กลับมามีเพียงพ่อของแอนน์เพียงคนเดียว...
ถ��าไม่รู้จักแอนน์ หรือไดอารี่สีแดงมาก่อน เล่มนี้จะเป็นเพียงเรื่องเล่าถึงครอบครัวหนึ่งในสงครามทั่วไปค่ะ ด้วยมุมมองของผู้ที่ไม่เข้าใจความโหดร้ายของสงครามอย่างต้นไม้ มันเลยถ่ายทอดความน่ากลัวออกมาไม่หนักเท่าความเหงาที่เหมือนอยู่ ๆ เพื่อนก็จากไปแบบไม่มีเหตุผลน่ะค่ะ
ถ��าไม่รู้จักแอนน์ หรือไดอารี่สีแดงมาก่อน เล่มนี้จะเป็นเพียงเรื่องเล่าถึงครอบครัวหนึ่งในสงครามทั่วไปค่ะ ด้วยมุมมองของผู้ที่ไม่เข้าใจความโหดร้ายของสงครามอย่างต้นไม้ มันเลยถ่ายทอดความน่ากลัวออกมาไม่หนักเท่าความเหงาที่เหมือนอยู่ ๆ เพื่อนก็จากไปแบบไม่มีเหตุผลน่ะค่ะ
January 15, 2019
This picture book gently tells the story of Anne Frank and highlights the power of nature to offer wonder and hope. It’s heartening to know that saplings from Anne Frank’s tree have been planted throughout the world.
July 16, 2019
Интересный факт в конце!
Read
February 27, 2020It was very sad. DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HATE PEOPLE DIEING!
January 11, 2026
Beautiful and utterly heartbreaking.
September 21, 2023
A story about Anne Frank told in the perspective of the tree that was outside her hiding place. Great for younger children.
May 25, 2022
this hit me directally in the feels, i love horse chestnut trees 😭😭😭😭😭
February 5, 2017
Everyone, go find this book and read it. This story is told from the perspective of the tree that stood outside the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during WWII.
Most heartbreaking passage from the book: "By the turn of the century, the tree had lived a full life. She was ready to die. Many strangers came to try to save her. They injected her with medicine. They trimmed her crown and cut sprouts from her trunk. They built her a steel support and collected her seedpods like gold coins. The tree recalled how few had tried to save the girl."
Truth: Saplings and seedpods from Anne Frank's chestnut tree have been planted around the world. Many of them grow right here in the United States.
Most heartbreaking passage from the book: "By the turn of the century, the tree had lived a full life. She was ready to die. Many strangers came to try to save her. They injected her with medicine. They trimmed her crown and cut sprouts from her trunk. They built her a steel support and collected her seedpods like gold coins. The tree recalled how few had tried to save the girl."
Truth: Saplings and seedpods from Anne Frank's chestnut tree have been planted around the world. Many of them grow right here in the United States.
July 18, 2016
A beautifully written, sensitively illustrated book that addresses the need for a gentle introduction to a deeply painful topic. The magic of this book is its function as a profound metaphor. We ourselves are the tree: mute witnesses, motionless and helpless, watching Anne through the windows of time as she lives and writes and then vanishes, leaving only her sorrowful father and her pages behind.
Do young children need such an introduction? Absolutely. Moral education begins in toddlerhood, and it is never too early to begin exposing children to issues of social justice. We speak to even very small children about the tragedy of American slavery, or about the Native perspective on Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus. So should we also introduce them to the topic of the Holocaust. They are hearing about it anyway, well before they are old enough to read Anne's Diary -- hearing about it from Jewish friends, older children, the overheard conversations of adults, or other sources.
I am so grateful for this book.
Do young children need such an introduction? Absolutely. Moral education begins in toddlerhood, and it is never too early to begin exposing children to issues of social justice. We speak to even very small children about the tragedy of American slavery, or about the Native perspective on Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus. So should we also introduce them to the topic of the Holocaust. They are hearing about it anyway, well before they are old enough to read Anne's Diary -- hearing about it from Jewish friends, older children, the overheard conversations of adults, or other sources.
I am so grateful for this book.
March 1, 2016
For those who know Anne Frank's story, this picture book version, told from the perspective of the tree outside the annex window, will be interesting, if not a curiosity. From a child's view, new to Anne and to the Holocaust? I'm not sure. I will share it with my 8th-grade teachers when they study Diary of a Young Girl later this spring and see what our older students' reactions are.
I didn't know about the loss of this chestnut tree in 2010 or about the seeds being planted in meaningful locations in the U.S. and around the world. As people worked to save the tree from dying, there's a powerful line: "The tree recalled how few had tried to save the girl." It's sure to spark discussion amongst students familiar with the Holocaust. What about Miep? What about the many members of the resistance efforts? Who did try to save girls like Anne, and at what risk?
The sepia-tone illustrations are beautiful and support the story perfectly; the book production is gorgeous.
I didn't know about the loss of this chestnut tree in 2010 or about the seeds being planted in meaningful locations in the U.S. and around the world. As people worked to save the tree from dying, there's a powerful line: "The tree recalled how few had tried to save the girl." It's sure to spark discussion amongst students familiar with the Holocaust. What about Miep? What about the many members of the resistance efforts? Who did try to save girls like Anne, and at what risk?
The sepia-tone illustrations are beautiful and support the story perfectly; the book production is gorgeous.
April 10, 2016
"The Tree in the Courtyard" is the perfect introduction to Anne Frank for young readers. Told from the perspective of the tree outside Anne's attic window, it gives a glimpse into what Anne's life was like before World War II, during her time in the attic, and the aftermath in a child-friendly way.
I credit "Anne Frank's Diary" with being one of the books that really started my interest in international events and relations. It's a book that I hold dear and am looking forward to eventually sharing with my daughters when they get a little bit older. In the interim, this may be a good book to start out with.
I have to mention the illustrations. They are absolutely gorgeous and so unique. This is a truly beautiful book with such a powerful message. This is a fantastic pick!
I credit "Anne Frank's Diary" with being one of the books that really started my interest in international events and relations. It's a book that I hold dear and am looking forward to eventually sharing with my daughters when they get a little bit older. In the interim, this may be a good book to start out with.
I have to mention the illustrations. They are absolutely gorgeous and so unique. This is a truly beautiful book with such a powerful message. This is a fantastic pick!
April 29, 2016
Ages 5 -9. Sepia illustrations in McCarty's recognizable style (truncated arms and legs, bulky bodies) accompany this simple story about the horse chestnut tree that holocaust victim, Anne Frank, described in her famous diary. Back matter explains in more detail the fate to Anne and her family and the horse chestnut that inspired Anne to write "The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn't speak."
Seeds and saplings from this chestnut tree that witnessed the war were saved and planted throughout the United States as a memorial.
Seeds and saplings from this chestnut tree that witnessed the war were saved and planted throughout the United States as a memorial.
August 6, 2016
Told through the point of view of a horse chestnut tree outside the annex of the factory where Anne Frank's family hid from the Nazis during World War II, we catch glimpses of the "girl" with her dark "unruly hair." The soulful, whimsical illustrations painted in brown ink by Peter McCarty perfectly match the somber tone of this story. Realistically, imagining reading this story to a group of curious young elementary children, they would require specific background information about the following questions and many more. Who is the girl? In what country does it the story place? Who are those soldiers? Which war is this? The background matter carefully explains all of these questions, but this beautifully written story will create more questions than answers.
January 20, 2017
Text-to-Teaching Connection:
This book has a very soft and interesting approach with introducing Anne Frank and the World War II to a younger audience. I also think that this is a great book to open the door for further teachings about the holocaust. The author used a human quality for the tree that stood outside the factory where Anne Frank and her family hid in the secret annex. I like the way that he gave the tree character with feelings of love and empathy for the littler girl, which made me also feel sorrow once she was gone. I would definitely use this book to open my students mind of this historical time as a history lesson. Also, I may elaborate on educating with some scientific facts about the type of tree, the parts of a tree and the cycle of a trees life for science.
This book has a very soft and interesting approach with introducing Anne Frank and the World War II to a younger audience. I also think that this is a great book to open the door for further teachings about the holocaust. The author used a human quality for the tree that stood outside the factory where Anne Frank and her family hid in the secret annex. I like the way that he gave the tree character with feelings of love and empathy for the littler girl, which made me also feel sorrow once she was gone. I would definitely use this book to open my students mind of this historical time as a history lesson. Also, I may elaborate on educating with some scientific facts about the type of tree, the parts of a tree and the cycle of a trees life for science.
March 26, 2016
Anne Frank's story has been captured by many authors even in picture book formats. Jeff Gottesfeld has a unique take on the story by telling the story from the perspective of the courtyard tree outside the hiding place window. This perspective allows a telling of her story in an accessible manner for younger readers. It adds little new information except the reader also is told what happen to the tree. As the tree starts to die, an effort is made to save the tree and the seeds from the tree have been planted all over the world as a symbol of peace. The brown tone drawings by Peter McCarty capture the tone of the story effectively.
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