That Tree Talked to Me

Trees talk. So do flowers, geese, bridges, and fire hydrants. They are some of the best storytellers on the planet. Cathryn Wellner captured the evidence in this hand-sized book of photographs and small-scale stories. Jump on a creative journey with a guide whose connection to the world is quirky and slightly off kilter.

That Tree Talked to Me is the first book in the Small Scale Stories series. The full-color photographs and lyrical short tales explore the communications most people pass by without noticing. A head-shaped rock longs for a friend. A fire hydrant spends summer practicing stories to share with the leaves that blow around him in fall. A bird despairs, sure the seed he dropped is the best he will ever find.

Scientists remind us our bodies and everything around us contain stardust, bits of the universe that are recycled and reshaped endlessly. The tree that shades us is a relative. So are the rock and the fire hydrant. Small Scale Stories encourage us to acknowledge and love our relations.

The books are hand sized, just the right size for keeping on a bedside table and giving to friends. Writing teachers will find them a useful tool for nourishing imagination and creativity.