Reuben and The Rainbow Tree
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The Rainbow Tree is in the center of the Village. The Rainbow Tree is very old. None of the villagers knew how old the Rainbow Tree was. The Rainbow Tree had always been there. The houses of the Village were built around the Rainbow Tree. The houses of the village were also very old.
The branches of the Rainbow Tree were so large and so high that no one could see the top of the Rainbow Tree. The top of the Rainbow Tree went right into the sky. Some of the branches of the Rainbow Tree were hidden in the clouds.
Each leaf on the Rainbow Tree was different from the other. Each leaf on the Rainbow Tree had a different color, had a different size, and had a different shape.
The villagers did not know that a family of monkeys lived in the Rainbow Tree. The monkeys lived high up in the Rainbow Tree. Just like the leaves on the Rainbow Tree, each of the monkeys was different.
Some of the monkeys were tall, some monkeys were short, some monkeys were fat, some monkeys were thin, some monkeys had a lot of fur, and some monkeys had very little fur. Moreover, the color of each monkey was different. Some monkeys had only one color like a green turtle or a yellow canary or a red rose. Other monkeys had many different colors like a peacock. Some monkeys had stripes like a tiger. A few monkeys had dots like a leopard. Several monkeys were black and white, like a panda bear or a zebra. Each monkey was very special.
The monkeys had lived in the Rainbow Tree for a long, long time. No one knew where the monkeys came from. Although the monkeys were different in size, shape and color, all the monkeys got along with each other.
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About the Book
The Rainbow Tree, sitting in the center of the village, has branches so large and so high that no one could see the top of the Rainbow Tree. The villagers do not know that a family of monkeys lives in the Rainbow Tree. Just like the leaves on the Rainbow Tree, each monkey is different.
A very young, boy monkey named Reuben likes to ride on his mother’s back, just as many baby monkeys do. His mother tells Reuben to hold on tight so that he will not fall, but Reuben wants to play with the older monkeys, even though he isn’t old enough yet to jump from branch to branch. He decides to sneak away from his mother while she is asleep. Reuben jumps from one branch to another branch and then jumps again—but then he misses the tree branch and begins to fall! Can the Rainbow Tree rescue Reuben?
In this children’s story, a small monkey named Reuben ignores his mother, jumps from branch to branch in the Rainbow Tree, and falls—learning a valuable lesson in the process.
About the Author
Leon Shargel has always enjoyed telling stories to his children and grandchildren and looks forward to sharing them with others. A retired professor of pharmacy and former vice president for a major pharmaceutical company, he is also the author of several textbooks and scientific papers; this is his second children’s book and the second of a planned series.
Illustrator Jahnavi Issar is a talented young artist. She is an International Baccalaureate student at Letha Raney Intermediate School in Corona, California. In her spare time, she likes to draw and listen to music.