Telephone of the Tree

Gr 5 Up–Best friends Ayla and Kiri love the trees that were planted in their neighborhood the year they were born. Kiri loves the white pine, while Ayla prefers her river birch. They spend hours climbing the branches, sending special signals, and imagining themselves as trees, tall and strong. Early in the story, readers learn that Kiri is gone. But where did they go and when will they come back? Everyone misses them, especially Ayla. One day, a strange thing appears in Ayla’s tree: an old rotary phone, not connected to any wires or cables. People start using the phone to talk to those who are gone. Ayla wants no part of it though, and whenever anyone starts to talk about what happened to Kiri, she hums and sings to herself to block out what they are saying. With the passing of each very short chapter (no more than one page), readers learn through Ayla’s voice why Kiri is gone. Award-winning writer McGhee has penned another memorable story. Ayla’s narration beautifully captures the grieving process from the perspective of a child and the characters who surround her are supportive and caring. Beautiful pencil drawings enhance the plot, and the author even includes a few facts about trees as part of the story. The use of “they” pronouns when referring to Kiri makes the story more inclusive for all readers.