Mum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree

A tender story follows a mother-and-daughter pair enjoying a ritual to remember: a bus ride to the countryside, baskets full of berries, and a fragrant pie.

As the sun starts to rise, a young girl and her mother set out on the bus, riding knee to knee to visit their mulberry tree in the English countryside. With buckets and tubs in hand for collecting berries, the two spend a day picnicking, waiting out a summer shower under their tree, and climbing as high as they can to pick the best mulberries, the ones that are tucked away from the world. When the sun starts to set, they head home to bake a delicious pie, all the while knowing they’ll be back next year to do it all again. Author Tanya Rosie makes her picture book debut with a heartfelt story honoring family traditions and time spent together with someone you love.A quiet celebration of a mother-child bond. . . The book also offers a positive representation of a one-caregiver household and a narrative of abundance instead of scarcity. . . Cozy and sweet.
—Kirkus Reviews

With rounded shapes, gentle colors, and suffused light, the beautifully shaded, mixed media illustrations create a reassuring sense of warmth and belonging. A cozy picture book for storytime or bedtime sharing.
—Booklist

Mixed-media spreads and vignettes by Groenink (Only One) give subtle romance to the sunlight that dapples the old tree’s magnificent branches, the great billowing clouds over softly rolling countryside landscapes, and the golden glint of sunset. . . Lyrical text, meanwhile, underlines parental affection and steadiness from the child’s point of view:.
—Publishers WeeklyTanya Rosie is a children’s book editor who also writes poems and picture books. She grew up in a household filled with Iranian traditions (from her mum) and some Scottish ones, too (from her dad). Mum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree is her first picture book. She lives in England.

Chuck Groenink was born and raised in the Netherlands and is the illustrator of many books for children, including Hungry Jim by Laurel Snyder; 16 Words: William Carlos Williams and "The Red Wheelbarrow" by Lisa Rogers; and I Am Not a Fox by Karina Wolf. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.