*Bare Tree and Little Wind by Mitali Perkins

Bare Tree and Little Wind reminds readers that Jesus is the Real King, and He is coming again.

*Bare Tree and Little Wind by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Khoa Le. Waterbrook, 2022. 40 pages.

Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8

Recommended For: All ages.

Bare Tree is stark and barren: no dates, no seeds, no leaves, no flowers. Little Wind is worried that Bare Tree would “never clap…. Not even if Real King comes.” Tall Tree had told Little Wind that even the trees of the field will clap their hands when Real King comes. One day, Quiet Man arrives on a donkey and the people clapped, shouted, and waved tree branches. But not Bare Tree. And then Quiet Man is crucified. He was seen again, but not by Little Wind. Later, much later, Little Wind is sent again to Bare Tree, and he notices that she has some leaves! Soon, her children will populate the earth. They must be ready because Real King is returning.

Bare Tree and Little Wind is marvelous. Unlike any Easter book I’ve read, it has a timeless folktale quality. And yet, this is a true story: the Real King did come, die on a cross, and rise from the dead. And… He is returning! The story isn’t over. Childlike illustrations creatively depict events from Scripture alongside verses like Isaiah 55:12 and Psalm 104:4, and the cover is simply stunning in person. At first, trees with eyes and winds depicted as heads with flowing waves of white may be disconcerting, but they work well with Perkins’s text. All in all, highly recommended and worth adding to your Easter storybook collection.

Considerations:

• Illustrations: This book contains images of Jesus.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 5 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here. *Indicates a starred review.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Something Better Coming by Megan Saben (this lovely book echoes the same theme as Bare Tree and Little Wind: Jesus is returning!)
• A Review: *He Is Risen: Rocks Tell the Story of Easter by Patti Rokus
• A Review: The Risen One by Scott James (an Easter devotional guide)

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