Written by: Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by: Barry Root
Fleischman, P. (2008). The birthday tree. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended grades: 1st – 5th grades
Awards: Paul Fleischman is the 2012 US author nominee for the international Hans Christian Anderson award.
Summary: A wife and husband leave the sea as it has taken all of their children. Once they settle down, far away from the sea, they have another son and plant an apple tree to mark his birth. The mother and father notice that the apple tree and the son are connected when he gets sick.
Personal Reflection: This is a heartwarming story that would be great to read when teaching the seasons or the life cycle of an apple tree. In the upper grades, you could dissect it further to uncover the connection between the son and the apple tree. The students could read and reread this story to discover the meaning of the birds and the interpretation of the apple tree from the parents’ point of view.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase because of its intricate story line.
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