Kenzie’s Little Tree

Kenzie’s Little Tree tells a story of a mother weathering illness alongside an intrepid little tree through all the different seasons of a year. The story begins on a Saturday adventure where Kenzie lobbies her family to bring home a slightly crooked little tree from the garden store. The family happily oblige and plant it in their yard with Kenzie promising to keep it safe no matter what comes. Fall arrives, and the little tree persists though it drops its leaves just as Kenzie’s mother’s pain becomes more pronounced despite her time resting in bed and the various medicines she takes.

In Winter, the family build snowmen outside and read stories inside until Kenzie’s mother must again go to the hospital as her illness worsens. Kenzie misses her mother dearly and worries over her little tree, trying to keep it warm and safe as winter storms and harsh temperatures threaten its safety and survival. As Spring arrives, the family once again embrace the plants and creatures of the season, including the now beautifully flowering little tree. Kenzie marvels that, like her mother, the tree is strong and well looked-after regardless of whatever changes the passage of time brings.

Alison McGauley handles the emotional subject matter of a loved one’s chronic illness with tenderness and love, depicting all the different experiences Kenzie’s mother enjoys with her family throughout the year but also the pain of her absence in their everyday lives when she must return to the hospital. The story encourages appreciating the time and experiences we have in the moment rather than resenting change and the passage of time. Emilie Leduc’s illustrations are equally gentle, displaying the coziness of each season rendered in immersive pastels.