By
Illustrated by
Daniel Cañas
Blanca Millán
To my family, for we are all branches of the same tree. —Daniel Cañas
To Ramiro, Elías and Sabela, my beloved traveling companions. —Blanca Millán
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Memories of a Birch Tree Text © 2021 by Daniel Cañas Illustrations © 2021 by Blanca Millán © 2021 Cuento de Luz SL Calle Claveles, 10 | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 28223 | Madrid | Spain www.cuentodeluz.com Original title in Spanish: Memorias de un abedul English translation by Jon Brokenbrow ISBN: 978-84-18302-55-8 All rights reserved.
By
Illustrated by
Daniel Cañas
Blanca Millán
I can clearly remember my first few years of life. I felt as if the whole universe lived within me.
I sprouted in the middle of a lush green valley, surrounded by other trees just like me. I had everything I needed to live: a warm climate; damp, fertile soil; fresh air; rain; and sunlight.
Sometimes I had the company of squirrels, butterflies, and birds, who would entertain me with their songs. I grew up happy.
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But one winter day, a crane changed everything. Some trees and I were loaded onto a truck, and we went our separate ways.
The day they took me out of my home and loaded me onto a truck changed everything. I went from living surrounded by nature, with my fellow trees, to being girdled by buildings in a polluted, noisy city. I was homesick. This story invites us to see adversity as opportunity and recognize that change—sometimes taking us by surprise—can help us grow.