Tove Under the Tree

A child’s courage and creativity save a fallen tree in this gentle young chapter book about empathy, resilience, community, and our indelible bond with nature.

There was a tickle at the top of her head. . . .
Tove’s brain vibrated like a phone. The little branch was asking for permission to grow.
Tove straightened. ＂Yes, please grow,＂ she said.
Just like that, her head accepted and welcomed the branch’s polite, exploring baby roots.

For as long as Tove can remember, the giant ficus tree has stood in front of her house, shading her bedroom during the day, holding up the stars at night. Now it lies on the ground, chopped down. ＂It was dead,＂ says the arborist. ＂Trees die. People think they live forever, but they don’t.＂ Or don’t they? Tove picks up a little branch that escaped the chipper, a branch still green and supple, still holding life. With that, she makes a bold and valiant resolution--and when the weight of her decision grows larger than a small child can handle by herself, the entire neighborhood comes together to support her and the tree they all love. With Larissa Theule’s graceful prose and Julie Benbassat’s inviting illustrations, a realistic familiarity merges with magical realism in an elegant, moving story with shades of a classic.

Larissa Theule is the author of several books for children, including Fat and Bones, a collection of linked short stories for middle-grade readers; Concrete: From the Ground Up, illustrated by Steve Light; Kafka and the Doll, illustrated by Rebecca Green; How Do You Do?, illustrated by Gianna Marino; Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face, illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley; and A Way with Wild Things, illustrated by Sara Palacios. The idea for Tove Under the Tree grew out of a painting titled Under the Tree by postmodern Superflat artist Yoshitomo Nara. Larissa Theule has lived in many different parts of the world and now lives in Southern California with her family and dog.

Julie Benbassat is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and an award-winning illustrator and painter. Her work has been exhibited numerous times, and she has done design, illustration, and animation work for a wide range of clients, including NPR, McSweeney’s, the New York Times, the Cartoon Network, and boom! Comics. Her book credits include There’s That Sun Again by Mk Smith Despres, The Book from Far Away by Bruce Handy, The Screaming Hairy Armadillo by Matthew and Steve Murrie, and You be You! by Jonathan Branfman. Julie Benbassat lives in Philadelphia.