Katie and her Papa live in a growing nineteenth-century prairie town. They join the other townspeople in planning a town square, and all agree it needs trees. Everyone contributes coins, and soon fifteen saplings, “spindly and green,” arrive by train. “In a quiet corner of the Square, Papa and Katie dig a hole together. Here they plant a flowering dogwood, in memory of Mama.” Kathryn Galbraith’s unusually poignant and understated story spans generations of history in its final pages as grown Katie returns to the square with her husband and children for the annual celebration of what has become Arbor Day, and towering trees shade the square for a twenty-first century celebration. Cyd Moore’s warm, pleasing illustrations complement Galbraith’s engagingly detailed narrative. An author’s note tells about the beginning of Arbor Day as a holiday in Nebraska in 1872. (Ages 5–8)

A heartfelt story about community and family, and how neighbors working together can make their town a better place for themselves and future generations.

Katie and her papa are among a group of settlers building a town in the middle of the dusty, brown prairie. Every week the trains bring more people and more lumber to build houses, fences, and barns. New buildings are erected: a church with a steeple, a store with glass windows, even a schoolhouse with desks for seventeen children.

But one thing is missing: trees.

When the townspeople take up a collection to order trees from back east, Katie adds her own pennies and Papa's silver dollar. When the tiny saplings finally arrive, Katie helps dig holes and fetch water. Then, in a quiet corner off the public square, Katie and Papa plant a flowering dogwood in memory of Mama.

Although set in the past, Kathryn O. Galbraith's gentle story of community building, the timelessness of love, and the power of ritual will resonate with young readers today. Cyd Moore's full-color illustrations reflect the simplicity of the story and life in a new prairie town, while evoking the complexity of its themes.