READER’S NAME: Teresa Mlawer

DATE: April 26, 2018 

ON A SCALE FROM 1 - 10 (10 being the highest score) how would you rate this book?10

This book written by Antonio Sandoval, with illustrations by Emilio Urberuaga, conveys a very important message for children to learn to take care of nature and protect our environment. 

The story takes place in a school yard, where there is only one tree: a skinny tree with bare and thin branches. It has been there for a long time and no one has paid any attention to the tree, until one day, Pedro, a little boy, decides to hug the tree. Suddenly, a new leave sprouts. His teacher tells Pedro that he should not touch the tree, and the school builds a small fence around the tree so that the children can’t come near the tree. However, Pedro manages to convince his teacher and his classmates that what the tree needs to grow and flourish is love. From that moment on, the tree becomes the central theme of the story. One day a seed grows from the tree and the children decide that it’s better to send it to another school without trees. 

This is a story about respect for nature, represented by a forgotten tree in a school yard. Thanks to the commitment and teamwork of the students, the tree grows until a seed grows: a seed that will allow other children, in another school, to develop a love and respect for nature. Another theme that can be drawn from this story is perseverance. Pedro does not give up and he perseveres in his intention to help and protect the tree. 

Antonio Sandoval besides being a writer is also an ornithologist, committed to teach children about protecting our world.

Emilio Urberuaga is Premio Nacional de Ilustración 2011. The illustrations he made for this book complement the beautiful text.