Patience by Kirrily Lowe

Ill. by Henry Smith. The Invisible Tree Series, Wombat Books, 2013. ISBN 9781921632587.
(Age: 4-6) Highly recommended. Themes: Australian Poetry, Values, Christian Ethics, Personal Development. Kirrily Lowe's The Invisible Tree series encourages young children to develop positive character traits. Each book begins with 'There is a little tree, that lives inside of me, it wants to grow big and tall, even though I am very small'.
Sammy is a young boy patiently waiting for a special present to arrive but as the days pass his patience is tested. His parents encourage him to not give up hope. Finally when the special gift arrives Sammy discovers that he has developed the gift of patience as well.
Kirrily Lowe's simple rhyme has a gentle cadence. The message of developing a patient attitude is carefully presented, being based on the Christian message of the fruits of the Spirit. Each book in The Invisible Tree series conveys a message about Love, Joy and Peace.
Henry Smith's creative collages mix recycled and hand-made papers in a layered style. These add depth and excitement to the story. The visually appealing text is placed on torn and cut paper utilising different colourful font styles and sizes.
This would be a great book for teaching Values Education and Personal Development in the Early Years classroom.
Rhyllis Bignell