Juni likes to spend recess with her favorite friend, a fallen tree in the schoolyard.
Together they go on adventures or sit quietly and count wood bugs. One day her classmate Leo comes over to ask what she's doing. Juni explains that the tree can be anything—a lava monster, a Pegasus, a pirate ship. Leo wants to play too, and suddenly she's made a new friend. Then Juni sees a sign about a community cleanup, which will include removing the fallen tree! She and Leo make plans to go to the principal and start a petition to save the tree. But nothing works. Finally, on the day of the cleanup, Juni knows this is her last chance to show the adults that a tree can be anything and that it can even be a friend. She'll try her best to be there for her tree, but can she save it?
Praise for Hayley Lowe:
★“Discusses illness and depression with gentleness that helps make the big feelings that can go with them less overwhelming. Touching and playful illustrations complement a story that handles themes of illness, depression, and aging with empathy and understanding.” —School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review for The Pie Reports
