This is the story of a boy named Skipp and his dog Ripp, of squirrels and rabbits, skunks and skinks.

But most of all, it is the story of a tree—how it began, how it grew, and how important it was to many people.

Here is a book which is nature fiction without nature faking. In an indirect way, it teaches a great deal about the changing seasons, conservation, the balance of nature, the life of a tree, and the ways of animals.

The story is fun to read and the pictures are beautiful and true.

From the dust jacket