Diversity CBR17 Pie Chart Challenge
My Sister the Apple Tree by Jordan Scott, Jamal Saeed, and Zahra Marwan is due this fall (September 2025). I was able to read it via an online reader copy. Now, I know I probably won’t be purchasing a finished copy for myself, but this book is a very contemporary themed picture book that is good for the older reader and should be read.
A young child starts their story with the birth of twin goats. They are envious that they have a sibling. When they mention to their parents that they wished they were a twin, they tell our child that they planted a tree the day they were born. This tree is their sister. We follow the child as they play, grow, share food, activities and more with their sister. And when war comes to them, and the family must leave, the child (now much larger) realizes they cannot leave their sister behind, and takes her with them as they journey to a new home far away.
The idea of roots, war, immigration, and refugees is created in a poetic, fantastical way. The subject has been done before, but the literal taking of the tree (being careful to not damage the roots) and then replanting it in the new home’s yard, makes things have a different feeling. To be honest, I was taking the tree on the journey a bit too literal for most of the book as we physically see the character carrying it. However, despite that, it is a good concept.
The illustrations are works that you might love or not so much. They are not simple, but not complex either. They have details, colors and reason behind them, but at the same time something was missing for me. Overall, it is a good book, but maybe not for everyone.