This is a great book for this time in our lives. We are in the middle of a big move across the country. The Crooked Apple Tree is about a family who are moving to a new house. Kate and Ben talk about all of the things that they hope the new house has, but when they arrive all they find in their back yard is a crooked apple tree.
Ben was cross. "What good's a tree?" he demanded.
"You'll think of something" said Mom.
"But it's just a crooked old tree," argued Kate.
Dad said nothing. He brought out his camera and took a photo of the old, useless tree.
As you know, kids are always using their imaginations. They play out many amazing scenerios in their play from exploring the ice of the North Pole to Dressing up as pirates or cavemen and running around in character.
As time passes, the tree changes with the seasons and the children play many different scenerios around that old crooked tree while Dad takes pictures. In the end they sit looking at pictures, reminiscing about all of the fun they had around that tree and realized just how wonderful it really is.
I don't always reveal the whole story, but in this case the story hit us in our hearts. We are leaving our friends, family, and house behind and moving somewhere we've never been. At first it may seem like somewhere that we aren't so sure about, but with an open mind and creativity we may just learn to love our new home and what the area has to offer just like Kate and Ben learned to love their crooked old tree.
