Milly and the mulberry tree by Vikki Conley and Deb Hudson

Milly and her Papa planted the mulberry tree on Milly’s birthday. Every year they sat under the tree on her birthday, eating the ripe mulberries. She grew up with that tree, circling her arms around it when young, stretching her arms up to measure herself against its height, watching the silkworms, her friends become cocoons and then leave the casings as moths, watched over by Milly. She adored the feel of the silky cocoons, storing them in her scrapbook. But older, she moved with work, now residing in a different part of the world where she encountered the silky end product of her silkworm friends. She used the memories of her tree to make sketches for garments, ate whole mulberries, celebrated her birthday under a canopy of red lanterns, found some fluttery friends, sipped mulberry leaf tea but none of this felt like home.

The climax of the story of Milly and her wish to be back home will flatten everyone’s heart as she gets her wish to spend her birthday under the mulberry tree. This is a delightful look at the place home has in everyone’s heart and the strings which bind us to that place.

The illustrations to this rhythmic tale are just as impressive, with the mulberry tree hanging over many pages, its large leaves and bright red fruit hanging enticingly in front of your eyes. Old gardens may have a mulberry tree so it is worth seeking one out to acquaint the readers with the sight of these magnificent trees. The life cycle of the silkworm is another story to tells the readers after the book is read and eagle eyes have spotted the moths, cocoons, and caterpillars of the silkworm story. And they will also have need lots of other details while they read.

Themes: Mulberry tree, Growing up, Life cycle, Silkworms, Fabric, Japan.

Fran Knight