This story of the madrone and its animal neighbors will both comfort and enchant children as they come to understand the timelessness of nature’s cycles. 

If ever a tree deserved a love letter, it is the Pacific madrone. Barbara Herkert’s poetic story charts the life swirling around this luminous tree, from eagles to elk to hummingbirds to fungi, as it patiently stands sentinel through the seasons of the Pacific Northwest. Marlo Garnsworthy’s gorgeous paintings bring the tree’s scarlet berries, spangles of white flowers, and curls of russet and green bark to life. 


The book includes:





a map of madrone distribution
an animal identification guide
further information for parents/teachers
free, downloadable curriculum on publisher’s website

Illustrated by: Marlo Garnsworthy