The Oak Inside the Acorn

Invoking the theme that we all need to discover our God-given abilities and follow God's plan for us, Lucado's (The Crippled Lamb ) gentle parable parallels the lives of a tree and a girl. A tiny acorn shaken from its mother's strong branches becomes a mighty oak—not by trying to be like other trees and flowers, but by heeding the mother oak's sage advice: "Just be the tree God made you to be." Likewise, a girl does some soul-searching of her own—often under the protective shade of the mighty oak—as she grows up and prepares to make her way in the world. Suffused with echoes of The Giving Tree , Lucado's story will likely reverberate with a wide audience. Angelini's hazy, bucolic oils capture flora and fauna at their sunlit best, and will likely have readers longing for a stroll among trees and flowers. Ages 5-10. (Nov.)