What a lovely story! This is very reminiscent of The Giving Tree, but what I loved about this story is that there is a give and take by both characters in the story. It’s a beautiful, heartwarming story that I highly recommend!
There are three trees. One a beautiful apple tree, one a strong grand oak, and one, a dilapidated scrawny tree. When a butterfly visits the apple tree asking for a place to rest, the snobby apple tree sends the butterfly away. It doesn’t want the butterfly damaging the apples that bring people to the tree. The butterfly stops at the oak next, but it too sends the butterfly away. When the butterfly comes close to the third tree, it invites the butterfly to stop and rest. The two become friends and the butterfly stays with the tree for a while. One morning the tree wakes to find the butterfly gone. He is sad and alone once again, until he feels the soft landing of one, then two, then hundreds of butterflies on his branches. His friend has invited other butterflies to come and rest with the nice, friendly tree.
I really liked this book. It is a beautiful story that reminds us all of the importance of being kind. The writing was easy to read to my children, and provided all the information they needed to understand the moral of this story. Both kids really enjoyed this one, and I know that we’ll be reading it again and again.
The illustrations are bright and colorful. They help to solidify the information from story. The mighty oak looks so strong, while our tiny tree, truly looks sad and lonely. The butterflies are bright and colorful, and brought so much to look at it when they come to visit the tree.
Overall, this was a wonderful story! I highly recommend this for children. I think it has an excellent message for children (and adults) and will become a family favorite!
To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend