Selected for the USBBY Outstanding International Book List
A young boy spots a baby tree growing in the middle of a dusty path in
his village. He carefully places rocks around it as the local mango
seller rushes past shouting, "Out of the way! Out of the way!" As the
tree grows bigger, people and animals traverse the path until it becomes
a lane, flowing like a river around the tree-- getting out of its way.
Over time, the lane becomes a road, and a young man crossing the road
with his children remembers the baby tree from long ago. By the time he
is an old man, the tree has become a giant. The city traffic continues
to rattle past, noisier and busier than ever, but sometimes the great
tree works its magic, and people just stop, and listen.
In this simple, lyrical story, a wide-spreading tree and a busy road
grow simultaneously, even as time passes and the footsteps of people and
animals give way to speeding cars, buses and trucks. The illustrations,
in pen-and-ink with vibrant blocks of color, have a classic folk-art
feel.
The author and illustrator, who really do share the same name (except
for the last letter!), have always wanted to do a book together.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2
With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key
details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters,
setting, or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the
beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
