The Worry Tree by Marianne Musgrove

The Worry Tree was written by Marianne Musgrove. It is about a 10 year old girl named Juliet. She is very organised but also very worried that she is the only decent person in her family. Her 7-year-old sister, Ophelia (Oaf), annoys Juliet so much that she moves to a separate room. When Juliet and her Nana were redecorating her bedroom she found a mysterious picture of a tree that was hidden behind the wallpaper for many decades.

Nana tells her that each animal on a branch represents a different worry. Every time Juliet is worried she can pretend she is hanging her worries on the picture of the tree. This could be the perfect solution to her troubles.

Hang your worries on the tree

I enjoyed the book because it was short and had an easy language. It can help children that face troubles in school, friendship or/and family issues. It has a simple plot so it is important to read between the lines and understand the moral.

This book won many awards including the Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature and the 2007 National Children’s Peace Literature Award.

I recommend this book for children between 8 to 12 years.