Apple and Magnolia

by Laura Gehl, Patricia Metola (Illustrator)

Overview

Britta visits her two favorite trees, Apple and Magnolia, every day. Though she can't explain it, she's sure they are best friends! Then one day, Magnolia’s branches start to droop. Is there anything Britta—or Apple—can do to help? After all, unusual friendships can be the most powerful of all.

With a lyrical story and vibrant art, Apple and Magnolia unveils the extraordinary connections between trees and the wondrous bonds between all living things. The book includes an author’s note offering facts about how trees communicate with one another. A downloadable discussion guide with more information will be available February 2022 at flyawaybooks.com/resources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947888357
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,092,494
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Laura Gehl is the author of nearly two dozen picture books, board books, and early readers. Her works have received many accolades and been included on numerous best-of-the-year lists. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. For more information, visit www.lauragehl.com.

Patricia Metola has illustrated more than twenty books for children. Her work has been showcased by the Bologna Children's Book Fair on several occasions. She lives in Madrid, Spain.

Editorial Reviews

"Nana's assertions about the power of 'unusual friendships' encourage readers to consider this heartwarming tale in both literal and figurative ways. . . .What’s not to love about this endearing and effervescent picture book?" —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Emotive, whimsical illustrations reminiscent of children's drawings enliven this story about the power of friendship."—Foreword Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2022

PreS-Gr 2—The striking cover art of the night sky, bright and alive, putting two trees into stark silhouette lures readers into this stunning book. Britta loves these trees and has decided they are friends, and that the trees help one another. Dad and her annoying sister, Bronwyn, tell her she's wrong. But Nana tells Britta that friendships can be unusual and sometimes they are the most powerful of all. Buoyed by her idea, Britta devises a plan to help these two tree friends, Apple and Magnolia, connect to one another even more when Magnolia begins to look poorly. With string and cups as a "telephone," she hopes the trees can talk to one another, and with a long, shared scarf wrapped around them, they will each benefit from the others' warmth. As time passes, Britta swears that the trees have grown closer to one another. Nana suggests that Britta measure and chart the distance between them each morning and, over time, the distances shrink. There are naysayers, but the numbers don't lie. Beautifully told and illustrated, this book is a gem on many levels. The relationship with wise Nana illustrates the importance of intergenerational stories; Britta's determination shows how strong girls can be, and it shows that we all have an impact on the natural world. VERDICT Pair with Lita Judge's recent The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom and let the children brainstorm how Apple and Magnolia may have relied on one another.—Joan Kindig

School Library Journal

★ 2021-11-16
With support from Nana, Britta sets out to help one of her favorite trees heal.

Britta is a capable, vivacious girl who insists that her two favorite trees—Apple and Magnolia—are best friends. Exuberant artwork with vigorous brush strokes depicts brown-skinned, curly-haired Britta smiling up at her arboreal friends in the daytime and dancing near them as they sway at night. When Magnolia’s branches begin to droop, irresistible Britta, flanked by her pets, brainstorms ways to help Magnolia connect with Apple, measuring the distance between the trees as the months progress: She creates a cup-and-string telephone, knits an enormous scarf, and hangs a string of lights, all in a determined attempt to connect the two trees. Britta’s light-skinned, bespectacled Dad and her dark-skinned, plugged-in older sister, Bronwyn, are skeptical of Britta’s efforts. In an effective use of repetition, her father “nicely” rejects Britta’s ideas, and Bronwyn pooh-poohs everything with the qualifiers absolutely, positively. Wise, dark-skinned Nana encourages Britta by sharing wisdom, prompting ideas with questions, and joining in her tree-healing campaign. As the author’s note mentions, cutting-edge science underlies this seemingly whimsical story, and observant readers will notice that Britta’s observations, measurements, and data-keeping capture the scientific method in action. Nana’s assertions about the power of “unusual friendships” encourage readers to consider this heartwarming tale in both literal and figurative ways.

What’s not to love about this endearing and effervescent picture book? (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews