The branch

by Mireille Messier

illustrated by Pierre Pratt

age range: 3 years old and up

Kids Can Press

It wasn't just a branch. It was her ship, a castle, her throne, her spy base. That's why when the branch falls during a heavy storm, the girl doesn't want to let it go. She wants to keep it for ever. Mom doesn't like the idea. Thankfully Mr. Frank, her next door neighbor, sees the branch's potential. Her branch can become something great after all. Together they work for a long time on the branch until it is ready to be again a ship, a castle, a throne, a spy base.

I liked many things about this story. I liked all the imagination involved in the girl's (screen free) games, and the love she has for those memories. I liked all the talk about potential, finding a new purpose for the branch, transform it in something great, new but still her branch. I liked the beautiful relationship that grows between her and Mr. Frank. I find cute and important to recognize what elderly people has to give to little kids. They have the time and knowledge to share, and this story, like others I have read recently such as Harry and Walter and Maggie McGillicuddy's eye for trouble, make a point of it. The illustrations are colorful and bright, and in them the branch never looks like just a branch. 

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.