Little Tree for Kids

A gorgeously illustrated and stunningly heartfelt ode to the challenges of growing up and letting go is presented for graduates, their parents, and anyone facing change. From the creator of Otis the tractor and the illustrator of Love by Matt de la Pena, this story of the seasons and stepping stones is as poignant for parents as it is for their kids.

"Long's gentle but powerful story about a young tree who holds tight to his leaves, even as everyone else lets theirs drop, takes on nothing less than the pain and sorrow of growing up," says The New York Times Book Review. As in Long's unaccountably profound books about Otis the tractor, "a pure white background somehow adds to the depth."

In the middle of a little forest, there lives a Little Tree who loves his life and the splendid leaves that keep him cool in the heat of long summer days. Life is perfect just the way it is. But when Autumn arrives, the cool winds ruffle Little Tree's leaves, and one by one the other trees drop their leaves, facing the cold of winter head on. Not Little Tree, though - he hugs his leaves as tightly as he can.

Year after year, Little Tree remains unchanged, despite words of encouragement from a squirrel, a fawn, and a fox. His leaves have long since turned brown and withered. As Little Tree sits in the shadow of the other trees, now grown sturdy and tall as though to touch the sun, he remembers when they were all the same size. And he knows he has an important decision to make.

From #1 New York Times bestselling Loren Long comes this gorgeously-illustrated story that challenges each of us to have the courage to let go and to reach for the sun. The illustrations are beautifully rendered, "understated and inviting, [making] young readers will be entranced by Little Tree's difficult but ultimately rewarding journey," says Booklist in a starred review.

The New York Times Book Review praises Long's "willingness to take his time and even test the audience's patience with his arboreal hero's intransigence," resulting in "an ending that's both a big relief and an authentic triumph." Long's "earnest-eloquent narrative voice and distilled, single-plane drawings, both reminiscent of an allegorical pageant, acknowledge the reality of the struggle while offering the promise of brighter days ahead," according to Publishers Weekly's starred review.

Kirkus Reviews describes the book as "Tender and gentle and altogether lovely," while the Cleveland Plain Dealer concludes that "Children will see the tree facing the scariness of change; adult readers may well feel wistful as the story underscores the need to let their babies grow toward independence. Beautiful."

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