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The Listening Tree: Befriending Nature

Martha Begley Schade

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Tired, little Johanna who is running away from home, rests at the base of an old oak tree. It starts to talk to her and listens to her problems. He offers advice and consolation and friendship is ignited. Over the years, Johanna returns to her listening tree and discusses many issues affecting preteens and teenagers. With many quotes and concepts, this book offers age-old reflections on modern-day issues that worry children. This charming and beautifully illustrated story comes with discussion points as well as fun facts about trees and their benefits to the environment. This charming & beautifully illustrated book is a useful reader for preteen social science discussions, where the key focus points in this book are friendship, family, stress, and modern-day stressors for children.The Main StoryLittle Johanna arrives at the base of the tree one day as she is running away from home. You can imagine her surprise when the tree starts to talk to her. He listens to her problems and offers ways to approach the different issues she has. The friendship grows when she returns often or in times of change in her life and always with the same result. She gets advice and most importantly, a listening ear. The story highlights the idea that listening is a key support to preteens and teenagers and that age-old solutions may often be useful – even nowadays.Johanna goes through issues such as family relationships, exam stresses, judging others, the importance of saying sorry and more. With “The Listening Tree” we highlight the importance of trees in our environment – also for our mental wellbeing. The premise of this storyThis book covers issues such as the ability to listen, saying sorry, exam stresses, kindness, judging others as well as self-esteem. The talking points at the end of the story help stimulate discussion around these topics. In addition, there are fun facts about trees and the benefits they bring not only to our environment but to our wellbeing also.

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2020

About the author

Martha Begley Schade

12 books23 followers

Born in Ireland, the Author, Martha Begley Schade, B.Sc., MBA has over 25 years of experience in Quality and Production Management, working globally with a focus on German, Austrian, Swiss and Italian Automobile supplier industries. Further qualifications include: ISO9000 Certification Auditor, EFQM Assessor, Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, Business Trainer and coach and more.

Her first book 8D Problem Solving Process is about the 8D Methodology for managing problems, as originally designed by the Ford Company. More business books are to follow.

But Martha is also a born storyteller, having grown up with the tradition in the family. (who wouldn’t with nine siblings! You had to make your story good to get any airtime above the others. ).

While running her own online training business called Business Online Learning https://www.business-online-learning.com, she also turned her hand to authoring children’s books.

What mother doesn’t like to use stories to nurture their children’s wellbeing! They provide many golden moments of parenting, even if they are to speed up a journey, get the kids to sleep, give guidance, help with problems, make the kids laugh and ultimately help them on their path to develop into healthy adults.

Rising to a challenge (her son betted her a fiver she couldn’t do it), she has now completed five individual books and one compilation book “,b>Galway Fairytales”.
These are all educational in nature, addressing social topics that affect children nowadays. Each story comes together with discussion points and a list of fun facts about the animal characters in the book.

She hopes you like them….. no….. love them.

What do you think?