Book picks similar to
The Wattle Tree by John Bell


australian
picture-book
death
grandparents

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth


Sean Rubin - 2021
    Over the years, the tree provided a home for birds and shade for people looking for a place to rest, along with the first blooms of spring.On September 11, 2001, everything changed. The tree's home was destroyed, and it was buried under the rubble. But a month after tragedy struck, a shocking discovery was made at Ground Zero: the tree had survived.Dubbed the "Survivor Tree," it was moved to the Bronx to recover. And in the thoughtful care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the Callery pear was nursed back to health. Almost a decade later, the Survivor Tree returned home and was planted in the 9/11 Memorial to provide beauty and comfort...and also hope.This is the story of that tree--and of a nation in recovery. Told from the tree's perspective, This Very Tree is a touching tribute to first responders, the resilience of America, and the restorative power of community.

I Miss My Grandpa


Jin Xiaojing - 2019
    He passed away before she was born, but she misses him every day. She often wonders...what did he look like? Grandma says: His face was shaped like the moon, his mouth was good at telling stories, and his hair was as curly as a bird's nest.With the help of her grandma and the rest of her loving family, will this young girl be able to imagine her grandpa's face in her mind--and feel the love that he shared with others?

The 25 Weirdest Animals in the World! Amazing facts, photos and video links to the strangest creatures on the planet. (Amazing Animals Series)


I.P. Factly - 2012
    Using video links, IP Factly's Amazing Animal series has been designed to encourage and bolster independent reading. The animals are accompanied by pictures and facts plus video links so children can see the animals and how they behave.

A Taste of Blackberries


Doris Buchanan Smith - 1973
    Always ready to get into trouble, then right back out of it, he's a fun and exasperating best friend.But when something terrible happens to Jamie, his best friend has to face the tragedy alone. Without Jamie, there are so many impossible questions to answer -- how can your best friend be gone forever? How can some things, like playing games in the sun or the taste of the blackberries that Jamie loved, go on without him?

Sonya's Chickens


Phoebe Wahl - 2015
    She feeds them, shelters them and loves them. Everywhere Sonya goes, her chicks are peeping at her heels. Under her care, the chicks grow into hens and even give Sonya a wonderful gift: an egg! One night, Sonya hears noises coming from the chicken coop and discovers that one of her hens has disappeared. Where did the hen go? What happened to her? When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature.

A Map Into the World


Kao Kalia Yang - 2019
    "Paj Ntaub, a young Hmong American girl, spends a busy year with her family in their new home and seeks a way to share the beauty of the world with a grieving neighbor"--

The Building Boy


Ross Montgomery - 2016
    Her garden is still full of old building materials. Unwilling to accept she has gone, the boy builds a giant structure from the bricks and girders he finds. And then ... Grandma comes to life! The boy is whisked away on an epic adventure across fields, through oceans and atop roofs. But where is Grandma taking him?Beautiful, thrilling and extremely moving: the extraordinary debut picture book from much-loved author, Ross Montgomery.

Eggs


Jerry Spinelli - 2007
    Sarcastic and bossy 13-year-old Primrose lives with her childlike, fortuneteller mother, and a framed picture is the only evidence of the father she never knew. Despite their differences, David and Primrose forge a tight yet tumultuous friendship, eventually helping each other deal with what is missing in their lives. This powerful, quirky novel about two very complicated, damaged children has much to say about friendship, loss, and recovery.

Big Cat, Little Cat


Elisha Cooper - 2017
    . . And so a story of friendship begins, following two cats through their days, months, and years until one day, the older cat has to go. And he doesn’t come back.This is a poignant story, told in measured text and bold black-and-white illustrations about life and the act of moving on.

Captain Rosalie


Timothée de Fombelle - 2014
    She wears the disguise of a little girl and tracks her progress in a secret notebook. Some evenings, Rosalie's mother reads aloud Father's letters from the front lines, so that Rosalie knows he is thinking of her and looking forward to the end of the war and to finally coming home. But one day a letter comes that her mother doesn't read to her, and Rosalie knows her mission must soon come to an end. Author Timothée de Fombelle reveals the true consequence of war through the experiences of small, determined Rosalie, while acclaimed artist Isabelle Arsenault illustrates Rosalie's story in muted grays marked with soft spots of color -- the orange flame of Rosalie's hair, the pale pink of a scarf, the deep blue ink of her father's letters. All the more captivating for the simplicity with which it is drawn and told, this quiet tale will stay with the reader long after its last page is turned.

Fly


Jess McGeachin - 2019
    It was just the two of them after all. So when Lucy finds a bird with a broken wing, she’s sure she can fix him too. But not everything that’s broken can be fixed.

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Princess!


Tom Fletcher - 2018
    . .Danny and Dinosaur are convinced that a damsel in distress needs their help - they just need to find her. But there are twists in store . . . Can Dinosaur make it through Fairy Tale Land without eating everything in sight? And do all princesses really need to be rescued?From bestselling authors Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, with glorious artwork from Garry Parsons, this hilarious, rip-roaring fairytale romp is packed with prehistoric cheekiness, punchy girl power and lots and lots of poop!

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright


Christopher Edge - 2016
    His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie's mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe. So Albie finds a box, his mum's computer and a rotting banana, and sends himself through time and space to find her...

The Immortal Jellyfish


Sang Miao - 2019
    They will never see each other again. To his delight, they meet again in a dream, where his grandfather takes him to Transfer City, where our departed loved ones live on through our memories. In this modern, Eastern telling of the afterlife, death is not an ending, but a new start to life, just like the Immortal Jellyfish which is constantly maturing and then regressing, staying as present as our deceased loved ones do in our memories. From the Chinese illustrator, Sang Miao, whose Out Out Away from Here was praised as "superb" by the New York Times, this cloth bound picture book printed on FSC certified paper is as beautiful to hold as it is essential for little kids asking the big questions.

Boats for Papa


Jessixa Bagley - 2015
    He loves to carve boats out of the driftwood he finds on the beach nearby. He makes:big boatslong boatsshort boats andtall boats,each one more beautiful than the last, and sends them out to sea. If they don't come back, he knows they've found their way to his papa, whom he misses very much. In this stunning debut, author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley explores the subtle and deep emotions associated with loss in a heartwarming tale that is sure to stay with the reader long after the book is closed.A Neal Porter Book