Tree Song

"This joyful book follows the life cycle of a tree as it grows from seedling to mature tree, and finally gives way to a new sapling. At every stage of the tree's life, children are shown playing under its branches."--

Bird loves the towering tree that grows in the jungle, but when the seasons change she must say goodbye until next year. Then one day Bird wonders- what happens to the tree when she flies away? Illustrated with care and told with love, Coralie Bickford-Smith's latest fable follows Bird as she discovers the stories of the other creatures who live in the tree, finding her way to sing a new song. The Song of the Tree is a celebration of community, belonging and the natural world. It is a timeless tale, one that will be enjoyed by readers of animal stories, of all ages, for years to come.

Listen to the music of the trees. This joyful book follows the life cycle of a tree as it grows from seedling to mature tree, and finally gives way to a new sapling. At every stage of the tree’s life, children are seen playing under its branches. Each season brings with it new sounds, whether it’s the chirping of birds in the spring or the flitter flutter of leaves in the fall. As well as a home for animals, the tree provides a canopy for a summer picnic, and a perfect place to hang a swing. Most important of all, when old age fells the tree, it provides an acorn from which a new tree will grow. Colorful illustrations with lots of small details will capture the attention of young readers, while the lyrical text makes this an ideal read-aloud book. It can also serve as the perfect introduction to nature’s life cycles.

As Christmastime approaches, the trees of the tree farm anticipate the season. Many of them worry and wonder what is in store for them if they are chosen and taken away. Not all of the trees spend their days in anxious fright; one wise old tree seems to know something that the others do not. The songs of the forest, carried by the wind, inspire attentive ears. Consider the fate of one young tree named Douglas who takes a journey and makes a remarkable discovery.

For graduates, for their parents, for anyone facing change, here is a gorgeously illustrated and stunningly heartfelt ode to the challenges of growing up and letting go. A story of the seasons and stepping stones as poignant for parents as for their kids, from the creator of Otis the tractor and illustrator of Love by Matt de la Pena. "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. . . . As in Long’s unaccountably profound books about Otis the tractor, a pure white background somehow adds to the depth."—The New York Times Book Review 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. Autumn arrives, and with it the cool winds that ruffle Little Tree's leaves. One by one the other trees drop their leaves, facing the cold of winter head on. But not Little Tree—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 having 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 a gorgeously-illustrated story that challenges each of us to have the courage to let go and to reach for the sun. Praise for Little Tree * "The illustrations are beautifully rendered . . . Understated and inviting, young readers will be entranced by Little Tree’s difficult but ultimately rewarding journey."—Booklist, starred review "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. Season after season, Little Tree clings to his brown-leaved self until he can take a leap and shed his protection. He feels ‘the harsh cold of winter,’ but soon grows tall and green, and it’s not bad at all. As in Long’s unaccountably profound books about Otis the tractor, a pure white background somehow adds to the depth."—The New York Times Book Review * "[Long's] willingness to take his time and even test the audience’s patience with his arboreal hero’s intransigence results 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."—Publishers Weekly, starred review "Long is sparing with the text, keeping it simple and beautifully descriptive. Brilliantly colored illustrations done in acrylic, ink, and pencil stand out on bright white pages, with Little Tree taking the center position in each double-page spread. Tender and gentle and altogether lovely."—Kirkus Reviews "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. Grade: A"—Cleveland Plain Dealer

This gripping, suspenseful novel of two brothers and their abusive father explores questions of faith and forgiveness. After a gruesome murder, Phillip must finally face Michael alone for the first time in several months. His greatest fear is whether he can find any forgiveness for the years he remained silent, allowing his younger brother to suffer at the hands of Tony, their sadistic father. Years before the killing, Tony accidentally discovered a letter written to his wife, proving that she had had a passionate relationship with someone named Samuel. Considering the humiliating possibility that Michael might not be his son, and consumed with rage, Tony's only ambition was to destroy the possible evidence of his wife’s affair. Now Michael is nearly sixteen years old and in the hospital, barely alive. While sitting alone with his brother, Phillip is tormented by recurring memories he can’t seem to escape—and just when he realizes the hopelessness of his life without Michael, Samuel, the man who wrote the letter to the boys’ mother, arrives at the hospital. Samuel is confronted with the terrifying reality that he may have missed his only chance to meet the young man he suspects is his son, and refuses to abandon the boys to their barbaric life. Phillip and Michael have only known hatred in their lives, and Samuel and his wife want nothing more than to offer the brothers a chance to learn that love conquers all things—a reality Phillip must embrace if he is ever going to make peace with Michael, and himself, especially after the brutal death that changed everything.

Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.