Its been a bucket list goal to write a children’s book. I promised Charlie that this would happen someday- so we are so very happy + excited to finally be able to announce that it really going to happen.
Sometimes you just need a little inspiration.
In this case, it came in the form of a gift that my dad gave to me when we bought camp… As a housewarming gift, he hung a treeswing for us in the biggest tree, smack in the middle of the property. The tree suddenly died just a year later, just about the same time that dad left us as well. We could not bring ourselves to take that little wooden swing down, or to cut the tree down, so my brother trimmed its limbs away to make it safe… fast forward A couple of years — the Huffington Post wrote a little story on what happened next to the ‘grandaddy tree’… That story became the premise for a children’s book I would write with my agency creative partner in crime & friend Donna Charlton-Perrin.
…‘A Home For A Tree’ was born.
I can’t believe that was nearly three years ago already! Over the course of the following year we went into illustration mode to bring it to life… then it was pitched by our agent, and then (yay!) we signed with publisher CROWN Books For Young Readers (a division of Random House Children’s Books). We are nearly finished with the hard part (copy editing) and excited for the next phase- final illustration mode!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
“The true story of the ‘Grandaddy Tree’, which for over a century provided shelter to woodland creatures and humans alike– and what happens when sudden loss opens the door for a new beginning, friendships and a community of unlikely companions. A timeless story of compassion and resilience. The “home for a tree” is an actual place built out of the kindness and talents of strangers emerging from the woods.”
We are so excited to partner with Crown, the publishing house behind so many other children’s books that we love! (including the original Dr. Seuss series… of which I have obsessed with, since birth)
Charlie reading in her bedroom: (shot by Jane Goodrich photography)
These sketches and sample placeholder Illustrations were created by our friend the amazing Jessixa Bagley– (see more of her work and her new book here) Crown is creating new illustrations for ‘A Home For A Tree’ – we will share with you as soon as we can.
And– The REAL tree at camp. Before (full and alive)… and After (the spring that we discovered that it had Dutch Elm)… and the After-After’ (Once my brother & his friends trimmed its limbs)… the ‘Happily Ever After’ (A treehouse is born!)
It will still be some time before it hits shelves, but so happy to share the news. Stay tuned for more details on when it’s out bookstores.
**Thanks for our Literary Agent Kari Stuart of ICM Parnters & our amazing editor at ‘Crown Books for Young Readers’ : Phoebe Yeh**
— and former title idea+ sketch:
