Laughing Leaves
Sometimes a single apple tree can make all the difference
Ina loves roaming around the forest at the back of the house where she lives with her mother. She adores everything about it: the squirrels, the spotted woodpeckers, the way the wind plays among the leaves, making it sound as if they were laughing … But one day, during a sudden storm, a big spruce falls on top of their house, destroying the roof. Ina’s life changes overnight, as she and her mum move to the city to live with her aunt Anita. Among the grid-like streets, countless buildings and thousands of people, Ina can’t help missing her beloved forest. But then she discovers an apple tree growing behind a wall and makes friends with another girl. Perhaps you can feel at home in more than one place, after all?
- A touching tale about being scared of change, making new friends and being optimistic about the future
- A lyrical verse novel with beautiful illustrations
- Describing a girl’s profound relationship with nature, this is nature writing for both children and their parents – it’ll make you long to roam around the woods yourself
Una López-Caparrós Jungmann, born in 1999, studied English and German Literature at the universities of Cologne and Rochester. She won the City of Hattingen’s Young Writers’ Scholarship in 2021.
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Clara Esser, born in 2000, studied at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, and graduated with a BA in Illustration from the Stuttgart Academy of Communication and Design in 2023. She is now a freelance illustrator and graphic designer.
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