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The Hugging Tree: A Story About Resilience
Last updated Monday, November 4, 2024
Author: Jill Neimark
Illustrator: Nicole Wong
Date of Publication: 2015
ISBN: 1433819074
Grade Level: 3rd (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2024
Synopsis:
Alone on a mighty cliff by the sea, a tiny tree struggles to grow and thrive. She is nurtured by the sea, sun and moon, and becomes home to a family of loons. But winter ice storms and bitter cold break her boughs and roots. Will she survive? Find out how the hugging tree grows until she can hold and shelter others.
Even though childhood can be a wondrous and carefree time, children must deal with difficulties as they grow. Those range from minor disappointments like losing a game, arguing with a friend or sibling, earning a poor grade…to significant blows such as the death of a parent or loved one, abuse, or neglect.
Through all her troubles, the Hugging Tree holds fast. Sustained by the natural world and the kindness and compassion of one little boy, the tree grows and grows until it can hold and shelter others under its immense green canopy. Every day, people of all ages come to rest and sit under the tree. The resilience of the Hugging Tree calls to mind the potential in all of us: to thrive, despite times of struggle and difficulty. To nurture the little spark of hope and resolve. To dream and to grow, just where we are.
| Note to readers: |
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Story Themes: This is a story about never giving up; learning and growing through difficult experiences; themes of nature and changing seasons; change can be hard, but not necessarily bad; dreams, friendship, and hope.
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Picture Walk + Engaging Readers with Questions: Illustrations in picture books are essential in conveying and developing the story, it would be helpful/useful to pause in between reading and do “picture walks” to ensure that the students are able to see and absorb what is happening. While looking at the pictures this is a great time to ask questions about what is actually happening in the story, as well as asking hypothetical questions to get kids thinking a little more. (i.e. On pages 8, 11, 14-15, how is the little tree feeling right now?)
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Different Learning Styles: Reading the story + engaging in picture walks will support all learning styles.
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| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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What’s your favorite season? Do you feel differently during each season (e.g. cozy/cold/lonely in the winter vs
happy/hot/togetherness in the summer)?
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What’s your favorite thing to do each season (e.g. hot cocoa in the winter, trick-or-treat in the fall, or beach in the
summer)?
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Have you ever been lonely? How did you feel? Has a friend been lonely? What did you do to help them feel better?
Vocabulary
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Bleak: depressing; hopeless; lacking kindliness
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Mighty: powerful; big in size or personality
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Sprouted: to grow; to spring up
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Smidge: a small amount; a little bit
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Wax & Wane: wax means to grow/increase/get stronger, and wane means to get smaller/decrease/get weaker; typically
refers to the phases of the moon, but also can describe a person’s energy level, emotions, etc.
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Ebb & Flow: to go out (ebb) and come back in (flow); used to describe something that changes in a regular way,
something that regularly becomes higher and lower
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Sparkling: to give off bright points of light; to shine or glitter
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Splendid: out of the ordinary; magnificent
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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Can you think of a time you had to keep trying and not give up? At school, or at home? How did it turn out?
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Have you planted anything (tree, flower, plant)? Do you have a favorite plant?
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Words that rhyme can be so much fun! How many can you think of – more than one? (Words that relate to the
story) → Grow + snow; sun + fun; tree + bee.
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| Craft ideas: |
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Make a 3-D Fall Tree. Using blue, brown, orange, yellow, red sheets of construction paper, scissors and glue sticks (or glue)! 1.Start by cutting your brown paper into a bunch of long strips. You do not need to measure their thickness, just as long as you have one the width you would like to use for your trunk. Take the trunk strip and cut/tear it in half. 2.Use your glue stick to attach one-half to your blue sheet of paper. Set aside the other half of your trunk for later. Now, glue the rest of your strips to the trunk. 3. Hide the places where the branches overlap by gluing the other half of your trunk over the original trunk PLUS the joints where the branches join.4.Pick up a branch and loop it around twice then attach the end to the blue paper with glue. Repeat this with each branch. 5. Cut out colored leaves using the orange, yellow and red paper and glue them on as well. For detailed instructions and pictures, see link at https://twitchetts.com/2017/08/3d-construction-paper-tree.html/.
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Make a Kandinsky Tree. Draw the trunk and branches of a tree for the kids and teach the kids the fine art of "quilling" using multiple colors of construction paper! Best if you have a small group of kids. See https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2021/06/kandinsky-tree.html https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2021/06/kandinsky-tree.html
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Make a Handprint Tree. This one is a free-standing tree using a paper plate as the base and a paper towel roll for the tree trunk. See https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/handprint-tree/.
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November is also reading to Kids College Spirit month! Have the kids create their own college logos based on the college logo you volunteer(s) share on something you are wearing. They can even create their own imaginary college logo!
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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