The Fig Tree: A Story About Building Friendship and Peace in Cyprus

K-Gr 3–The fig tree remembers when friends from both sides of its island shared their fruit while the children played, and the two communities shared common words, songs, and sunny days. The fig tree remembers when the fighting started and what happened next: friendships broken, soldiers on the ground, and gunfire shaking the tree to its roots. A general then drew a line in green pencil to divide the island; that boundary is still in place with barbed wire, clearly shown in illustrations. This is all based on real events: in 1974, the island of Cyprus split in two, following years of conflict. A Green Line was created that goes north to south and divides the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot) from Turkish Cypriot. This fig tree was there before the conflict and continues to be there today. Manoli, whose parents are Cypriot, includes a small glossary and an author’s note, where she goes into more detail behind the separation and her hope for peaceful future. Giles uses a mix of handmade textures with gouache and acrylic paint along with drawn digital art. The artwork is heartbreakingly beautiful, showing bright summer and the fig tree, soldiers on the ground and fires in buildings, barbed wire going up, and the general drawing the dividing line with a green pencil. While the writing is clear and detailed, the illustrations almost tell the story alone.