Telephone of the Tree

Telephone of the Tree
Author(s)
Age Range
8+
Release Date
May 07, 2024
ISBN
978-0593698457
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An unforgettable story of grief and the support of community as a young girl, faced with aching loss, begins to understand that what we love will always be with us.

Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. They each have their own special tree, and neighbors and family know that they are most likely to be found within the branches. But after an accident on their street, Kiri has gone somewhere so far away that Ayla can only wait and wait in her birch, longing to be able to talk with Kiri again.

Then a mysterious, old-fashioned telephone appears one morning, nestled in the limbs of Ayla's birch tree. Where did it come from? she wonders. And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their loved ones? Especially loved ones who have passed on.

All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until that day comes, she will keep Kiri's things safe. She'll keep her nightmares to herself. And she will not make a call on that telephone.

Editor review

1 review
A beautiful story on coping with grief
(Updated: June 06, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
"Last times come for everyone...
first times come for everyone too."

Grief is a complicated emotion, one that everyone experiences and one that everyone expresses differently. Telephone of the Tree takes a young girls experience of losing her best-friend and the way she copes with this loss.

The story is continuous, instead of broken up into chapters, keeping the pace light. The text is lyrical and poetic. I found myself distracted by the way the text was displayed, with part being "in verse." However, the repetition of phrases, spaces, and other techniques were utilized to exude emotion and feeling. You will need tissues.

The sense of community was palpable, loving and welcoming. From the seemingly nosy neighbor across the street to the annoying little boy down the block, each character had a wonderful part to play in the story and helped me as a reader understand the pain that Ayla was feeling but couldn't quite process.

The inspiration for Telephone of the Tree was something I had never heard of before, so research I did. I love the idea of having a magic phone you can use to call loved ones no longer with us.


I loved the little illustrations on several pages. They really tied in the custom of planting a tree when someone is born, or in remembrance of someone that has passed.


Telephone of the Tree is a short story with very intense emotions that tackles tough topics that could be used as a tool for helping children grieve.
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User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
3.8
Plot
 
4.0(1)
Characters
 
4.0(1)
Writing Style
 
4.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
3.0(1)
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Short emotional read
Overall rating
 
3.8
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
3.0
Great concept based on a Japanese phone booth as inspiration. A very emotional story of grief, of respecting one's rhythm and processing loss. Very beautiful, love the format of the book itself, the artwork, and the writing lyrical style.
The incident is something very relatable (awareness is shown against careless drivers.) The author conveys the grief and stage of denial very well.

Cover art 3
Good Points
Grief and trauma done well
Short easy to read
Life lessons
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