Lent and Easter Books (Part 4): The Tale of the Three Trees

Another one of the books that we love to read beginning in the season of Lent is The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt. Hunt retells a folktale of three trees, each with a dream for its future. The first tree dreams of becoming a treasure chest that holds riches and gems. The second dreams it will become a ship that carries kings across oceans. The third tree dreams it become the tallest tree in the world, so that when people see it, they will think of God.

But the dreams of each of these trees unfold in unexpected ways. The first tree is crafted into a manger for feeding animals. The second becomes a small fishing boat used on a little lake. And the last becomes lumber and sits unused in a lumberyard.

As you might imagine, each of these trees ends up playing an important role in the life and death of Jesus. The first tree is the manger in which the newborn Jesus is placed in lieu of a crib. The second is the disciples' fishing boat that nearly sinks when a storm springs up, until Jesus quiets the storm. And the third tree is formed into the cross which Jesus carries and on which he is crucified. And each tree realizes that, although its dream wasn't fulfilled, its purposes ended up being far more than it ever could have imagined.

Update: If there aren't copies of this book available on Amazon (sometimes these things go out of stock, especially as we get close to Easter!), try looking for the older edition of the book, which is the  same, as far as I can tell (except for the cover).