Sylvia Rose and the Cherry Tree

In rhymed couplets, with magical illustrations, Sylvia Rose and the Cherry Tree spins a story of adventure, imagination, and the importance of home. This very strange tale began in May in a friendly forest on a sunny day. Skipping along a path in the wood danced Sylvia Rose, and man, she was GOOD! Laughing and leaping came Sylvia Rose, Whirling and twirling on twinkly toes. Bold, adventurous Sylvia Rose loves visiting the animals and trees of the forest. The girl and her favorite cherry tree share almost everything, including dancing and stories, but they can't travel the world together because the tree is rooted deep in the earth. Determined to overcome this obstacle, Sylvia Rose enlists her animal friends to uproot the glorious tree, and Sylvia and the tree set off globetrotting together, taking in the wonders of the world from the Eiffel Tower to the Sydney Opera House, each sight more amazing than the last. Back home in the forest, however, the animals begin to suffer without the food and shelter of their life-sustaining cherry tree. Can the tree give up her newfound freedom and return to her role in the forest ecosystem? Fountas & Pinnell Level M

Since her childhood in a Maine coastal forest, SANDY SHAPIRO-HURT (Cape Elizabeth, ME) has been passionate about ecology and the abundant life the forest supports. She left Maine to pursue careers in the feature film industry and in event design and planning, but has returned to her roots with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of chickens. Sylvia Rose and the Cherry Tree is her first children's book.