The Tree

What if the bedtime stories were real?

Grace and Sam's mother used to tell them bedtime stories about a secret world hidden inside an enchanted tree. It was the one story where Mama was the hero.

Now, just months after losing her, Grace wakes up certain of something she can't explain: the Magic Tree from Mama's stories is real, and it's the old banyan tree in their own front yard.

Through a doorway that wasn't there a moment before, the siblings step into the world their mother dreamed up for them. A chocolate river tastes like the love you need most, magical creatures offer friendship and guidance, and everywhere they go, Mama has left something behind for them to find.

The Tree is a tender, funny, wonder-filled middle-grade fantasy about grief, love, and imagination, and a comforting chapter book to read aloud with younger listeners. It invites grieving children, and the grown-ups who care for them, to discover that the people we lose are never as far away as they seem.

This story helps children:

• Cope with grief and understand that love lasts, even after someone dies
• Hold on to cherished memories of the people they miss
• Find hope, wonder, and imagination again after loss

Perfect for:

• Children ages 9 to 12 grieving the loss of a parent, grandparent, or other loved one
• Families, teachers, school counselors, and grief support groups looking for a meaningful children's book about death, grief, memory, and hope
• Bedtime reading for children and the grown-ups who read beside them
• Young readers who love fantasy adventures, magical worlds hidden in ordinary places, portal stories, and dragons
• A thoughtful sympathy gift for a child who has lost someone special

For fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, with the heart of The Invisible String.

Written from the heart. The Tree is woven from years of bedtime stories author Paula Vayas told her young son, playtime with family, and make-believe from her own childhood. Its Prologue poured out the morning after a dream she had following the loss of her own mother. She is also the author of the Oliver & Clementine series of early chapter books, including Fort Both-of-Us and Kingdom Both-of-Us, which help young children build the social-emotional learning (SEL) skills they need to thrive.

Step through the door.
Your Magic Tree is waiting.