Seeds and Trees
Follows the story of a little prince who collects seeds from words he has received. Those seeds grow into two types of trees: dark or green. It’s a powerful story about how words can hurt or heal. Those words then turn into beliefs we hold about ourselves. “Be careful what you water, for it will surely grow.”
Ages 6-12.
This book has emotional depth and many therapeutic layers. However, even for young children, it is possible to elaborate on the main message — the power of words.
Disclaimer: despite the style of illustrations there is no magic in this book, only a parable of seeds growing into trees and its affect on a boy.
Here are some sample processing questions for you to ask your children as you read or review the book afterwards.
— What do the seeds represent?
They are words from others that the boy has taken to heart. “It didn’t quite matter from where it had come, a stranger, a friend, a whisper made up.”
— Why did he water both seeds?
He didn’t know what kind of tree would grow from the seed. As children, we form opinions of ourselves based on what people tell us; whether true or false. The more those words are repeated the more we believe and attach our self-worth to them.
— What do the seeds become?
Either dark trees or green trees.
— How do the dark trees make him feel?
Bruised, prickly and painful.
— How do the green trees make him feel?
Safe and healed.
— Why did the dark trees hurt him?
The dark trees grew from mean words (dark seeds) that he began to believe. They grew thistles and thorns yet he believed them so much that those trees grew stronger.
— What kinds of words or actions might grow ‘dark trees’ in your forest?
Help your child identify specific words that might hurt or behaviors that may cause them pain.
— Why did the green trees get weak?
The dark trees shaded them. Sometimes we pay attention to negative and unhealthy words just as much or more than the positive ones in our lives. If we listen to the negative words over and over we start to think they are true and form a belief about it while attaching it to our self-worth.
— What kind of seeds did his special friend have?
Green seeds, not dark.
— What were her words like?
Always spoke truth, filled with grace, “never spoke harshly and never spoke lies, always spoke gently with loving replies.”
— How far down did the dark tree roots grow?
They were deep and wrapped around the green roots, choking them.
— How do they get rid of the bad trees?
They used tools like a saw, shovel and axe to cut them down and dig them out. Then they cast them out to the sea.
— How can you get rid of the bad trees from your forest?
Help your child see they can choose what words to listen to and what words to believe. Help them identify a safe and trustworthy person in their life who speaks truth to them. Use your spiritual or value belief system to help them understand their innate value. They can also practice discerning bad trees from good by spreading good, green seeds of truth to others.
— What did they plant instead of the dark seeds?
More green seeds.
— What kind of seeds do you want to sow?
~Krystin