Picture Book. Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel. Illustrated by David Catrow
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Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel

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Our Tree named Steve by Alan Zweibel and Illustrated by David Catrow is The Giving Tree with a sweeter ending.
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A dad writes a letter to his children while they are away at their grandma’s house about their tree, named Steve.

He recounts when they met Steve on the day they picked their building spot for their new house.

In the spirit of The Giving Tree, dad recollects all the ways Steve has been a part of their lives.

  • Length: 32 pages
  • Read-Aloud age: 3+

LJR’s Thoughts on Our Tree Named Steve

Unpopular opinion: I was sorely disappointed when I finally read the beloved book The Giving Tree (though I love Shel Silverstein). What appeared to be a great story about the relationship between a boy and a tree as the boy grew instead was incredibly depressing. Am I the only one?

What I expected in The Giving Tree is exactly what Alan Zweibel accomplished in Our Tree Named Steve.

We are brought through a family’s joys, sorrows, and milestones in a sweet letter from a dad to his kids. The illustrations by David Catrow are adorable and the ending is beautifully bittersweet.

Some things worth noting

In our usual LJR fashion, we try to find anything that Christian families may want to know about ahead of time to address, skip, or dig deeper into. Take a look at what we found below. Our take on Discipleship Opportunities is at the bottom of the review.

  • A pair of underwear is shown on a page on top of a dog’s head
  • Mention of when two of the kids started getting crushes

Discipleship Opportunities for Our Tree Named Steve

  • At one point in the letter, dad mentions how he always wanted to teach the kids about “the peace that comes with having things you can count on and a safe place to return to.” Study Psalm 46, Psalm 4, and check out John 16:33.
  • Without giving spoilers, you can look into John 15:12-15 to talk about how Jesus laid his own life down for us (and even how it sets an example for how we love others).

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a lovejoyreadalouds.com book review. Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel. Illustrated by David Catrow
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