Song of the Trees

The New York Times Book Review
A triumphant book...A story truly told.


Book Description
With the depression bearing down on her family and food in short supply, Cassie Logan isn't sure where her next meal will come from. But there is one thing that she knows will always be there-the whispering trees outside her window. Cassie's trees are a steady source of comfort to her, but they also happen to be worth a lot of money. When Mr. Andersen tries to force Big Ma to sell their valuable trees, Cassie can't just sit by and let it happen. She knows that her family needs the money, but something tells her that they need the trees just as much. The beloved heroine of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry enchants us again in this story of strength and pride.

Illustrated by Jerry Pinkey


Card catalog description
During the Depression, a rural black family deeply attached to the forest on their land tries to save it from being cut down by an unscrupulous white man.


From the Publisher
Cassie's mother told her, "Times are hard, honey." With jobs scarce, Cassie's daddy had gone to Louisiana to lay track for the railroads to get money to feed his children back in Mississippi. That was when the trouble started. Mr. Andersen dared cheat Big Ma by forcing her to sell the giant old trees in the forest surrounding the house. The trees were Cassie's friends, singing her a special song that others insisted was only the wind. What would happen now with daddy away?


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The author of the Newbery Award winning book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry brings us another story of a family's struggle for respect and survival. Cassie Logan lives with her mother, Grandmother and brothers near woods that are centuries old. When Cassie wakes in the morning, while gathering eggs and while picking blackberries with her brothers, she loves to listen to the songs the old trees sing. They offer comfort and reassurance while her father is away working to send money home for the family. But when the woods are silent and the trees are marked with huge white Xs, even Cassie's older brother has to admit that something is drastically wrong. This touching and simple story is based on events in Taylor's own family life during the Great Depression. It brings to light the incredible fight for respect and honor still facing black families in the United States in the twentieth century. 2003 (orig. 1975), Puffin Books/Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers,


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