Bare Tree and Little Wind: A Story for Holy Week

K-Gr 4–Perkins uses nature to tell a story of Christianity’s Holy Week and of rebirth. Little Wind has heard the trees speak of Real King (Jesus), who will one day come and cause even the trees to clap. When Real King arrives on Palm Sunday, it is in a quiet and unexpected way, leaving Little Wind to wonder if Quiet Man could be Real King, or if the trees were wrong. Bare Tree explains that this is only Real King’s first visit, and that he will come back. Little Wind sees the Crucifixion and hears rustling a few days later that Real King has been seen alive. From this point, the story jumps to the burning of Jerusalem; every green thing is burned, but Bare Tree is spared. It is from Bare Tree that new life springs forth, and Little Wind helps to spread seeds far and near so trees around the world will be ready to clap when Real King returns again. While the time line of the story can be a bit confusing, with years passing between spreads, the ultimate message is one of hope for the future and celebration of good things to come. Some families will enjoy discussing the layers in the text, such as the parallel between Jesus’s resurrection and the fact that Bare Tree, who seems to be dead and barren, brings forth new life.