Young Rosalinda loves her lemon tree and is distraught when she discovers that a man has stripped it of its lemons and left it damaged. She seeks advice from people in her village, but it's not until she meets up with La Anciana, the Old One, that she learns how to heal the tree and heal her heart. The story deals honestly with the pain of being robbed of a treasure, and also, by showing the thief with his impoverished family, conveys the need for compassion. Moreno's watercolor-and-pastel illustrations give the Mexican countryside a warm, softly textured appearance. The double-page spread showing the tree bursting with lemons, the yellow moon overhead, and the overjoyed little girl dancing underneath is particularly appealing. (Reviewed May 15, 1999)

A Mexican girl awakens at night to find a man stealing the lemons from her lemon tree. In trying to discover how to help her tree, which falls ill after the episode, the girl connects with a mythical wise woman, who teaches her a lesson in compassion. While the story is somewhat meandering, it contains some lyrical imagery, and the watercolor illustrations warmly depict the girl's home and village.

K-Gr 3-Rosalinda wakes from a dream to see a dark figure stripping her lemon tree of its fruit. By the time she gets outside, the man is gone and the tree is languishing. The anguished child asks advice from Abuela, who suggests that she seek out La Anciana, a spirit of nature, healing, and wisdom. Rosalinda searches everywhere, but it is only after she sees the thief and his impoverished family selling lemons in the market that she meets the spirit. La Anciana gives Rosalinda a short lecture on understanding and compassion and a branch to tie onto the tree that night. The girl does so, and overnight the tree yields huge lemons, which she joyfully picks and distributes to her family and friends. She gives the last one to the thief with instructions to "Siembra las semillas. Plant the seeds." The story is satisfying on several levels. Justice and compassion are both served, and a way out is given to the thief, who occasions more pity than anger. Spanish words and phrases, gracefully defined in the text, add to the richness of the narrative. The primitive watercolor illustrations, long on bright color and strong line, augment the story beautifully. It could be effectively used with Alma Flor Ada's The Gold Coin (Atheneum, 1991) to provoke discussion about how understanding can create motivation for positive change.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA