A Tree for Max

In the story for children, A Tree for Max, the King of the Trees talks with all the trees of the forest. But how can that be possible? Can trees really communicate?

"Because you still listen, because in times like these
to have you listen at all, it's necessary
to talk about trees."— What Kind of Times Are These
By Adrienne Rich. 1929-2012
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/181516#about

To: The King of the Trees

I read The Third Industrial Revolution by Jeremy Rifkin as part of my search for realistic methods to assure a better world for my grandson, a world facing major environmental degradation that imperils the future of society. Solutions are available, the problem is that we deny the reality and we cannot even have a national debate on the issues because of deep divisions and the political control exerted by the very economic forces that are driving the destruction.

We humans seem to become part of a landscape wherever we are planted, to wear it like a garment or a skin, to possess, and be possessed by the rocks and the trees of our places, and it is incredible to think that we cannot forever inhabit our land or our place.

It seems natural for a parent or grandparent to give things to a child. But what gifts will have a lasting impact? The most valuable gift may not be a thing, but a relationship, a value, a skill, or an outlook. I try to create books that can help build those valuable gifts.

Yesterday was the kind of warm sunny day in early December that feels like fall, not winter. Walking with my dog, Keren, past a parochial primary school playground at recess. Kids wrestling, showing off, swooping around in a ball game, chirping and shouting, making playground noises—like a flock of birds. I passed on, down the hill, and then turned back to see what the sudden rise in noise and pitch was all about.

PhotoLuminations, an imprint of New Technology Publishing, announces the
publication of A Tree for Max, an illustrated fable for children in digital format.