Read by Ken Guidotti
This is Collin.
Collin loves his mom, his dad and his sister Julia.
He loves his dog Carmine, ketchup on pizza, Transformers and light switches.
Collin also loves Aunt Jacki’s house.
He loves her swimming pool and her big backyard.
But, most of all, he loves Jacki’s big, bald tree.
Collin loves that tree because it is the biggest and the baldest tree he has ever seen.
He thinks that tree is the most beautiful tree in the whole wide world.
Collin is sure it is the best tree ever!
Some people do not agree with Collin.
They think he is a silly kid thinking silly kid thoughts.
They think Jacki’s tree is ugly.
People say it is ugly because Jacki’s tree has no leaves like the other trees in the yard.
It has no bark like the other trees.
Jacki’s tree does not look like a normal tree.
It is different.
It is big, bald and different.
And that is why Collin loves that tree.
It’s big. It’s bald. It’s beautiful and it is different.
Collin loves to sit by the big, bald tree.
Sometimes he reads a book.
Sometimes he takes a nap.
Other times, he listens to the birds or watches the squirrels and bunnies.
Collin knows everyone thinks the tree is big, bald and ugly.
He has heard people say the tree should be chopped down.
Collin tells the people, “The birds do not care if the tree is bald.”
He knows the birds sit in the tree and chirp all day long.
Collin tells the people, “The squirrels do not care if the tree is different.”
He knows the squirrels scurry up and down the tree every day.
Collin knows the bunnies hop happily around the tree.
He has seen deer, fox and coyotes enjoying the tree.
Collin knows the big, bald tree brings happiness to him and all the animals.
He knows this is a beautiful feeling and a beautiful tree.
One day, while Collin was swimming in Jacki’s pool, a man came to town.
The man looked at the tree and said, “That is the ugliest tree I have ever seen. It’s big. It’s bald.
It’s ugly and it is different. I am going to chop it down and plant a tree that has leaves and bark.
I am going to plant a beautiful tree!”
The man knocked on Jacki’s door and yelled, “We must chop down this big, bald, ugly tree
because it is different!”
Jacki said, “NO!”
Collin said, “NO!”
But the man said, “YES! I can chop down this tree because I am in charge of keeping things
beautiful. I will be here tomorrow with my saw and I will chop down this big, bald, ugly
tree.”
Collin ran to the tree that he loved so much.
He sat there and he cried and cried.
But suddenly Collin stopped crying and started thinking.
Collin decided that he would be there when the man with the saw came to chop down his
tree.
He would sit right next to his tree like he does every single day.
If the man was going to chop his tree down he would have to chop Collin down too.
The next morning, before everyone was awake, Collin was sitting near his tree.
When Jacki woke up and looked out her window she said, “Collin, what are you doing sitting by
your tree? It is so early.”
Collin told Jacki what he was doing.
Jacki thought Collin’s idea was the best idea she had ever heard.
She packed a picnic basket and went to sit by the tree with Collin.
Collin called his mom, his dad, his sister Julia and his dog Carmine.
Collin’s mom called Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins.
The birds saw what was happening and called their bird friends to come and chirp on the big,
bald tree.
The squirrels heard the birds chirping and called all their squirrel friends to scurry in the big, bald tree.
The bunnies saw all the activity near the tree and decided to join in.
The deer, fox and coyotes brought their families for fun around the big, bald tree.
Why even the bugs, flowers and other trees were having a grand time!
Soon, people from all around town came to relax by the big, bald tree.
The people sat and listened to Collin talk about how much he loved the tree.
They began to love the tree too.
Just then, the man with the saw walked up and shouted, “What is going on here?”
As the man looked up he noticed happy people, animals, bugs, flowers and other trees.
He saw Collin and he saw Collin’s big, bald tree.
But Collin’s tree was not the same.
It was still big. It was still bald. It was still different.
But, suddenly, the man thought the big, bald tree was beautiful.
The man looked at Collin and said, “I was wrong. This is not a big, bald, ugly tree. It is a big,
bald, beautiful tree. It is beautiful because it brings happiness to others. I will not chop your tree
down. Your tree is different but, it is also special. This tree will stay at Jacki’s house forever!”
And the big, bald tree did stay at Jacki’s house forever.
Bringing happiness to people, birds, squirrels, bunnies, deer, fox, coyotes, bugs, flowers, and
other trees.
But, most of all, the BIG BALD BEAUTIFUL DIFFERENT tree brought happiness to Collin.
:)
