Under the Baobab Tree

by Julie Stiegemeyer, E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Overview

Moyo and Japera travel down the red dusty road to the next village. There, they will gather under the baobab tree, the Tree of Life. Moyo knows that some days the market wagon stops under the baobab tree. Villagers buy brightly colored cloth and heavy pots and pans. But who will gather today under the baobab tree? Come to a special place—a wondrous gathering place known as the baobab tree, the Tree of Life. Moyo and Japera know that almost anything can happen here. But today? Today the most important and truest stories of all will be told. People will come to hear, to pray, and to sing. And as the children journey to the tree they have only one question: Who will gather under the boabab tree? …Will you?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310725619
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	04/23/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Julie Stiegemeyer has authored more than twenty books for children. She has also written for magazines, newspapers, and devotional books. In addition to writing, Julie teaches writing and English as a Second Language. Julie and her husband and son live in Irvine, California. Find out more at www.juliestiegemeyer.net.

Read an Excerpt

Under the Baobab Tree

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By Julie Stiegemeyer

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2011 Julie Stiegemeyer
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-72561-9

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Chapter One

When the sun turns the morning sky to golden honey, a new day dawns, and Moyo steps from his straw-bound hut and begins his journey.

"Hurry, Japera," he calls to his sister. "Time to go!"

Moyo and Japera travel down the red, dusty road to the next village. There, they will gather under the baobab tree, the tree of life.

Moyo knows that some days the market wagon stops under the baobab tree. Villagers buy brightly colored cloth and heavy pots and pans.

But who will gather today under the baobab tree?

As the sun creeps above the horizon, Moyo gives thanks for the day as he watches clouds skim above the blue hills, hidden in shadow.

A weaverbird glances at Moyo and Japera as they pass by. Then the bird returns to building its basket-nest in the arms of an acacia tree.

Sometimes the elders gather under the baobab for long talks about the village and its people.

But who will gather today under the baobab tree?

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Under the Baobab Tree by Julie Stiegemeyer Copyright © 2011 by Julie Stiegemeyer . Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

From the opening full-bleed, full-spread watercolor illustration of a young boy greeting the dawn in front of his grass-roofed hut with arms stretched wide toward heaven, to the final spread of a community gathered to praise God under a baobab tree’s encompassing branches, a spirit of quiet joy and wonder reverberates through this tale. As brother and sister Moyo and Japera walk dusty roads to the next village, they pass through their diverse community: weaverbirds in acacia trees, gazelle at a watering hole, a termite mound “rising from the tall grass like a finger pointing to heaven,” rendered by Lewis (Bat Boy and His Violin) as a vivid red natural sculpture decorating a brown, arid plain. Amid the children’s observations and musings, Stiegemeyer (Seven Little Bunnies) interweaves the refrain “But who will gather today under the baobab tree?” A preface page introduces the baobab tree, describing its practical and spiritual value to the African savanna’s human and animal communities. Understated lyricism combines with uncluttered, foreground-focused depictions of creation in this prose hymn of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise. Ages 4–7. (May)

Publishers Weekly

'Amid the children’s observations and musings, Stiegemeyer (Seven Little Bunnies) interweaves the refrain “But who will gather today under the baobab tree?” A preface page introduces the baobab tree, describing its practical and spiritual value to the African savanna’s human and animal communities. Understated lyricism combines with uncluttered, foreground-focused depictions of creation in this prose hymn of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.' - Publishers Weekly Review Weekly Review

'Amid the children’s observations and musings, Stiegemeyer (Seven Little Bunnies) interweaves the refrain “But who will gather today under the baobab tree?” A preface page introduces the baobab tree, describing its practical and spiritual value to the African savanna’s human and animal communities. Understated lyricism combines with uncluttered, foreground-focused depictions of creation in this prose hymn of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.' - Publishers Weekly Review

Publisher Weekly Review

Gr 2—In an unspecified African country, a brother and sister walk to their village, wondering who will gather today under the baobab tree. As the central gathering place, it might be hosting a market, a storyteller, or elders discussing local business. No one is there when the children arrive, but gradually a crowd gathers. Soon the children learn that today's event will be a service—"Here there are no windows or doors. No church bell or steeple. No organ or flowers. Just a cross and a Bible, a pastor and songs, voices and prayers." Lewis's glowing watercolors convey the contemporary savanna setting with warmth and energy. Sunlight and color fill each frame as the siblings make their journey, while leafy endpapers signal the tree's importance. Religion is part of the children's daily existence, along with the plants, animals, and weather. The author suggests that the people view both God and the baobab tree as providing support for their lives. This book could be used effectively with Cristina Kessler's My Great-Grandmother's Gourd (Orchard, 2000), another title that demonstrates the importance of the baobab tree to village life.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

A brother and sister travel to a special gathering under a gigantic baobab tree in this quiet, beautifully illustrated story set in a rural area of an unnamed African country. The siblings walk together down a dusty road on their way to a nearby village, where the large baobab tree is located. The story relates different events that happen under the tree: a visit from the market wagon, elders meeting to discuss village business, a storyteller recounting tales of heroes. A repeated refrain builds anticipation: "But who will gather today under the baobab tree?" During their journey, the children spot some intriguing sights such as gazelle around a watering hole and a termite mound. When they reach the baobab tree at last, they join other people waiting under the tree, and it gradually becomes apparent that this is an outdoor church service with just the basic elements: "a cross and a Bible, a pastor and songs, voices and prayers." Evocative watercolor illustrations make effective use of sunlight and shadows to create a warm, realistic world that shimmers in the African heat. A subtle, captivating glimpse of another way of life, with a regrettably generalized author's note about the significance of the baobab tree in African culture. (Picture book/religion. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews