The Together Tree by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

This portrait of children navigating an incidence of bullying offers a hopeful, if optimistic, portrait of inclusion.

Rumi, a dark-skinned boy with short, curly hair and a sad expression, joins a class in the spring, as the snow is melting. He has come from across the country, San Francisco, and is quiet and shy. At recess, he sits alone under a tree and three kids stand by the swings, watching him. Asher, a blond boy with a yellow vest, says his shoes are ugly. Ella, a white girl with glasses, freckles, and brown hair, giggles and joins in. Han, a stocky Asian boy, stands by silently. Rumi withdraws even more into himself and Asher and Ella escalate their teasing until Asher throws a stone and it scrapes his knee.

Han gathers his courage and speaks up, asking to play with Rumi, and then they see that he has not just been twirling a stick in the dirt, he has been drawing a world of art. That evening Asher leaves a note apologizing and the next day the kids begin to join in and Asher is left alone. Rumi pauses to think, and then takes the class to rejoin Asher and the next day they are all together, under the tree.

Pham's art swirls and dances around the page, showing the expressive faces of the children as they speak thoughtlessly and thoughtfully, and as they are joined together by the worlds of art Rumi has created. Back matter talks about Saeed's child's experience with bullying and racism, which inspired this story, and Saeed's hope that it will show bystanders a way to come forward and include others.

Verdict: This seemed to downplay the bullying - there's no overt racism, as Saeed's child experienced, just thoughtless cruelty that escalates. I feel that there are more nuances to the original experience; children are usually repeating things heard at home and it's much more difficult to counter those than just random teasing without a "reason." However, for teachers wanting a more general approach, and when looking at what we can realistically change in kids' behavior, this is a good title on kindness and speaking up and will be something my teachers will definitely use.

ISBN: 9781534462960; Published May 2023 by Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library