When Agu spots a little girl called Sam playing in a tree he sees an opportunity to make a friend. He is new to the country but so far all of his attempts at friendship have failed. Poor Agu is heartbroken when Sam says she doesn’t want to play because she doesn’t know him. Why is making friends so hard?
He watches as Sam pretends to be a pirate amongst the gnarled bows of the old tree. She sings of her adventures but when she mentions stealing diamonds from Nigeria Agu steps in. He tells her there are no diamonds there, and he knows because this is where he comes from. Intrigued, Sam asks him what else he knows and just like that the door of friendship starts to open. Agu tells her all about his former home and slowly they start to play. Soon they are sailing together on the breeze, fighting pirates and searching for seashells.
When Sam’s dad calls her for dinner the game is brought to an end – but could this be the start of a wonderful new friendship?
This is a beautiful tale of adventure, acceptance and the joy of discovering a new friend. I love how imaginative play brings the two children together and that their relationship is built on the fact they have different backgrounds but enjoy the same things. They learn from each other and as a result their experiences are enhanced. A valuable lesson!
We also love the fact the story shows a girl playing pirates, as this is so often stereotyped as a ‘boy’s game’.
The illustrations are stunning and do a fantastic job of showcasing the range of emotions children go through in everyday life. Agu’s facial expressions really tug the heart strings at the start of the story and it’s a real joy to watch his excitement grow as he realises he has made a friend.
The Pirate Tree is available now at bookshops in the UK, America, Canada and Australia and you can also purchase it directly from the Lantana Publishing website: https://lantanapublishing.com/collections/diverse-and-inclusive-books/products/the-pirate-tree
Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.