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This is Lela.
A few days ago Lela and her family moved into a new house.
It wasnt as good as their old one, but Lela did her best not to be fussy about it.

The new house was small.

There werent any great places to hide.
There werent any silly friends across the street.
There werent any big trees in the front yard.
Lela missed her old house.

Mom and Dad spent the day unpacking boxes.

Lela and Bradley sat on the couch munching crackers, and drinking apple juice.
Lela wanted chocolate milk, but Momma said, Have some fruit.
Even though she got to watch her princess movies with Momma,
Lela still missed her old house.

The next morning Daddy woke Lela up, and they went outside to put together a new
swing. Lela helped a lot at first, but she thought Daddy could finish by
himself. So daddy put together the rest of the swing, and Lela played with

Bradley the Lamb near a tiny tree that had recently been planted.

Bradley missed the the old house too.

Daddy and Lela sat on

the new swing for the
first time, and began to
rock.

Ba

ck a
nd forth
up
and down

The swing creaked and

whined until Daddy and
Lela were both fast
asleep.

A few minutes later, Lela woke up. The swing kept rocking and Daddy kept snoring
but something was different. It was the tree. As the swing rocked , the tiny twig
began to grow...and grow...and GROW.

Lela couldnt believe her eyes. Woooooooow... she whispered. The tree was SO BIG!
Its leaves were blue, and orange, and purple. The fruit on its branches lit up like fireflies.
It was the most beautiful tree Lela had ever seen. It was a special tree.

Lela turned to wake up Bradley. Bradley loved trees. But he was missing! Lela looked all
around, even under Daddys head. She thought Bradley was gone forever. But then, at the
bottom of the tree, Bradleys fuzzy little arm poked out of a nook.

Lela gasped, and smiled, and ran over to look . Bradley waved for Lela to follow, and she did .
Lela crawled behind Bradley through the giant tree. Inside, it wasnt a tree at all!

It was a whole other place, with grass, a stream, and wonderfully fluffy clouds.
It was amazing, and made Lela smile. Bradley smiled, and said baaaaaaa, just a little bit.

Lets explore! Lela said .

She couldnt help but giggle.
So Bradley and Lela explored .
Up and down hills,
running and skipping,
and splashing through puddles.

Lela explored, explored,

explored ...and she was
happy the whole time.

And then...
Bradley tugged on Lelas shirt and pointed .
She looked and saw a little girl on the
other side of the stream.
Lela hadnt made any friends yet, so she
decided to go say hi.

Bradley thought it might be nice to take

the little girl some flowers.

Thats a fantastic idea! Lela said .

She loved to give presents. Lela
hummed a little as she gathered
some very pretty flowers. She
smiled when she thought of giving
them to the lonely little girl.

Lela and Bradley walked down the edge of the stream . They stood across from the lonely
little girl on the other side of the water.
Hi there, Im Lela and this is Bradley...hes a lamb.
The other little girl quietly piled a few smooth rocks. She looked at Lela through her long,
dark hair, but didnt say anything.
These flowers are for you.
Lela smiled and held out the flowers, but the stream was too wide.

Just then, Bradley walked up with an arm full of sticks.

Thats a great idea Bradley! Well build a raft!
So Bradley and Lela began building a raft from sticks and Lelas shoelaces. The little girl on
the other side of the stream stared at them curiously. Lela smiled a big smile, and tied the
last few sticks together.

When Lela and Bradley were finished building the raft,

they covered it with flowers...

and sent the present over to the little girl...

...the lonely little girl...

...on the other side of the stream.

The raft slipped out of the

water and onto the ground
in front of her. The little
girl began to softly cry, but
she tried to hide the tears.

Oh goodness! Are you

okay? Lela worried .
The lonely little girl
gently took the flowers in
her hand .

She dried her face and took a

deep breath.
My name is Dani. Thank you
for the beautiful flowers.
Lela smiled .
Dani smiled, and placed some
of her rocks on the little raft.

Lela took the rocks from

the raft. She thought she
might make a house with
them, and that made her
wonder...
Is your house close?
I live very close, but not
in a house, responded
Dani.

Dani began placing

flowers around her
stacked pebbles.
Do you like your
house? Dani asked .
I miss my old house.
My new room is itty
bitty. Lela said .
I wish I had a room. I
share mine with lots of
other kids. Dani said .
Do you have lots of
brothers and sisters?
Lela asked .
Dani didnt answer.

Dani rubbed her tummy.

Im so hungry.
Lela wished she could give
Dani something to eat. Then,
she remembered she had a
few crackers in her
overalls.

She put some of the crackers on

the raft, and sent them to Dani.

Dani and Lela ate together.

Lela and Dani finished their

crackers.
They talked.
They sang.
They giggled .

The day seemed to last forever,

but neither minded .

Can we be friends?
Dani asked .
Of course! Lela said, with all
the happy she could muster.

Lela wished she could hug Dani...

...but she couldnt...

...the stream was too wide.

A few minutes later, Lela

heard Daddys voice,
calling her home.

Dani began to cry.

Please dont cry, Dani. Lela pled .

Please dont leave. Dani said.
Lela wanted to stay,
But she missed her mom.
She missed her dad .
She missed her house.

Daddy called again.

Lela didnt want Dani to be
alone.

Then she had an idea.

Lela hugged Bradley.

Youre a good friend, Bradley.
And Bradley sat on the raft.

Bradley floated across the stream.

Lela wished she could keep Bradley, but Dani needed him more.

Bradleys a good friend . His singing is bad, but hell never let you down.

Dani smiled . Lela loved Dani, and that made her smile too.

Lela said goodbye,

and ran back to the tree,
and back to Mom,
and back to Dad,
and back to her house...

Back to the swing that Lela

and Daddy built,
back to watching princess
movies with Momma,

back to the sweet little tree.

Back home.

It was a very nice little house.

Dear Parent or Caregiver,

By the time you read this book, it will be largely responsible for bringing an orphan into a loving home.
When I told Stephen Fox that my wife and I were adopting an orphan, I never dreamed our future son would
become the beneficiary of this masterful expression of Stephens artistic and story-telling abilities. Before he
put his hand to a page, Stephen committed 100% of the profits of this book towards our adoption until our
adoption expenses were paid in full.
To my wife and me, when we read of Lela Beth sailing her favorite toy across the stream, it represents the
self-sacrifice Stephen made to help us bring a lifetime of opportunity to an otherwise abandoned child.
And thats Stephens challenge to you.
This book is like the tree in its tale. It has the power to transport your mind to a world of wonderwhere you
stand face-to-face with the dark reality of suffering in its contrast to the beauty of love and self-sacrifice.
It represents an opportunity for you and your child to engage difficult issues in a hopeful, moving context.
Perhaps it will motivate you to pray for the millions of suffering children around the world. Maybe it will
encourage you to give regularly to nonprofits that aid suffering children. It may prompt you to involve your
family in adoption, foster care, or relief work. If youre already involved, it will help reinforce and motivate your
efforts.
Theres also a deeper truth in these pages, calling us to remember another tree, another lamb, another
sacrifice. In Jesus Christ alone our suffering world finds its ultimate example and its only hope.

Joshua D. Rowe