Jujube and Willow

by Youjun Sun, Shifang Zhu (Illustrations)

A man plants a willow tree and a jujube tree and declares they will be friends. But when Jujube doesn't sprout leaves, Willow shows off his own shiny leaves and teases Jujube. Then one day, Jujube sprouts tiny leaves of his own and from those leaves grow a surprise. Will Willow and Jujube be able to see past their differences and become friends?

32 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A farmer plants a jujube and willow trees so that neither tree will be lonely. The willow tree develops leaves much quicker and is more useful for shade. The jujube tree takes a long time to sprout leaves but when it does, the leaves quickly turn to little fruits. The willow tree feels bad that he teased the jujube tree for not having leaves. He is afraid that the jujube tree will now make fun of him for not having fruit. But instead, he learns that everyone is different and that's ok.

A bit simplistic and obvious but could be useful for starting conversations about the importance of being different. Not recommended for storytime.