*Signed Bookplate

Inspired by the 2013 Black Forest fire and told from the viewpoint of a tree watching its home destroyed, Hello, Tree is about the kinship between humans and nature, and preservation of the environment.

It was a swallow who called it first.
“Fire’s coming!”
And the animals ran away.
Even the insects tried to flee.
The girl and her family left, too.
All I could do…was wait.
 
When a wildfire comes roaring into the forest, all the animals and humans flee. But all the tree can do is wait. Wait until many days and nights pass. Wait until the fire loses the battle. And wait until the forest is still before the forest can be reborn and the animals and the girl can come back.