The Crooked Tree

(A Book for Children 4 to 94) 22 pages Color Illustrated

As posted by Jennifer E. Lindsey, Oregon, September 21, 2012:

The Crooked Tree is a tale about a little seedling beside a stream that initially goes ignored by the entire forest, but as he grows all he wants is to become as big and mighty as his father, the Hickory on the Hill. Then comes the storm that knocks the little tree down. Mangled and twisted, he becomes the butt of all the other trees’ jokes and he despairs of ever having any value. And that’s when everything changes.

The Crooked Tree does exactly that. As I turned each page, I felt a stirring inside and tears welled up. I didn’t just identify with the little tree. For a few minutes, I was the little tree. And when I closed the back cover, I felt inspired, ready to tackle every obstacle the world keeps knocking across my path. That’s what writing should do. Fill the reader with a desire to do more, be more, and then challenge her not just to want it, but to act upon that desire.

So, as I sit here with my laptop after dark, with a panting pup at my feet, the first mug of hot apple cider of the season by my chair, and a chill autumn breeze playing a mournful tune in the wind chimes, I find myself feeling incredibly encouraged and immensely grateful for the day Jeff went for a walk in the woods and discovered something that made him ask the question, “Lord, how did this tree come to be so crooked?”