You may recognize this story as it was originally published in 2010 but has been re-released in paperback for 2022. Out of the Way! Out of the Way! By Uma Krishnaswami and Uma Krishnaswamy is the story of a bustling city and a tree.

A small boy in a village in India notices a baby tree in the middle of the path. He carefully protects it with a ring of rocks to give it a chance to grow and become strong. Readers watch the tree grow as the village becomes a city and the people move “from here to there and back again”.

For readers who have a soft spot for Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, Out of the Way! Out of the Way! is an updated, kinder story of a tree that serves its community. Uma Krishnaswami’s writing is lyrical and flows from page to page. It’s quite easy to read right from the get go and makes for an excellent read aloud. I especially like how the tree in the story is nurtured by the boy. The boy takes care of the tree and in return the tree provides shade for the people, food and shelter for the animals and fresh oxygen for the earth. The relationship is symbiotic and a reflection of the give and take necessary to protect nature’s gifts.

Uma Krishnaswamy’s illustrations are bustling just like the village in the story. There is so much to feast your eyes on that it’s a story that will keep readers coming back to find new treasures in the illustrations. I like the combination of bright vibrant colours and black and white drawings to give readers a lot to look at.