The Tree Who Didn't Want to Grow
Innovative children's book
Interested in buying rights? Click here to make an offer

For more rights information Contact Us

More About This Title The Tree Who Didn't Want to Grow

English

The little tree doesn't like the things that keep happening to him, such as leaves growing and falling off and the wind forcing him to do tricky gymnastic moves. He continues to dream about returning to the safety and warmth of the seed in the ground, until one day a terrible crisis forces him to grow up and make the decision to live according to his full potential, as a tall, strong tree.
The book is intended for children ages 3-10, for whom changes in life can often be frightening. The young readers quickly learn that life forces us to change, and that if we fail to embrace change, we run the risk of being constantly miserable, like the little tree used to be. Through the tree’s story, young readers find the courage to face their own difficulties and come to terms with the changes life throws at them.
In this meaningful and humorous book, the author and illustrator, Tammara Or Slilat, gives young readers the opportunity to use their imagination and become co-creators of the book by adding text bubbles and coloring its beautiful black and white illustrations.

English

Tammara Or Slilat is an acclaimed poet and a writer. She has published five poetry books for adults and holds an MA in Creative Writing and English Literature from Bar-Ilan University. This is her first children's book.

English

The Tree Who Didn’t Want to Grow - Blue Ink Review
Tammara Or Slilat
Partridge, 46 pages, (paperback) $21.18, 978-1482881257
(Reviewed: March 2017)

Tammara Or Slilat charmingly addresses the fear of change in her engaging children’s picture book The Tree Who Didn’t Want to Grow.

The tree in question starts as a seed but soon notices green leaflets sprouting from his head. He begins to grow roots, complaining all the while: “This is the life I now have to face:/ always to be stuck in just one place.” As the tree grows, experiencing cold, heat, wind, and the seasonal shedding of leaves, he repeatedly voices a lament: “With all the commotion outside,/ I wish I was tucked inside,/ safe and warm beneath the ground,/ where I could ignore the whole world around.”

Finally, when faced with a severe drought, the tree realizes he must summon his courage and “brave up”; with great effort, he pushes his roots deeper, finds water, and survives. The tree then comes to a realization: “The commotion outside,/ the buzz and the drone,/ is better than being/ in the darkness alone.”

Slilat uses compelling rhyme throughout, and the text featured in the illustrations’ word balloons is an added plus (although there are a couple of minor missteps, such as, “Your tenants friek [sic] me out.”

The illustrations, expressive and humorous, are black and white; the author’s prologue encourages children to color the book themselves. She also includes surplus drawings of frogs and owls at book’s end that can be cut out and glued into the book’s illustrations. Although the sense of scale seems incorrect on some of these “extras,” it’s a unique, creative touch.

The story serves as inspiration for younger children (and could also reassure kids at the higher end of the book’s target age range—3-10—who might be fearful of the changes their bodies will face during puberty). The Tree Who Didn’t Want to Grow is a charming book. It will be especially helpful for children who, like the tree, become anxious and upset about changes to the status quo.

Also available as an ebook.
loading