From My Bookshelf to Yours: The Large Rock and the Little Yew by Gregory Ahlijian

The Large Rock and the Little Yew by Gregory Ahlijian is an uplifting story of survival about a little yew tree who is  trapped in the  crack of  a  large rock. The little yew is determined  to find sunlight., soil and water so that it can survive. The large rock is rude, pessimistic and inhospitable. Despite the  large rock trying to destroy the  little yew tree's dreams of survival by insisting that it will never survive its less than ideal circumstances, it continues to believe that  it is  unique, valuable and can grow strong. The book is beautifully illustrated by Janna Roselund.


The lesson illustrated by the determination and willpower of the little yew tree is that anyone can achieve their dreams no matter the overwhelming odds and hostile environments that they may be in. The little yew and the large rock are located in Wakehurst, United Kingdom. People travel to see a large rock encased within the roots of a majestic yew.


100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to Jasper Mountain Center, a nonprofit  treatment center, in Oregon, that addresses the needs of emotionally disturbed children and their families. On April 9th, he presented the center with a check in the amount of $30,000!


Gregory Ahlijian has been a mentor at the Jasper Mountain facility since 2008. He has worked in the field of arboriculture for over 30 years. He teaches the children at the center bout nature, trees, character development and poetry. The children of Jasper Mountain were the inspiration for this uplifting story of perserverance and hope. He says that his goal is "..to inspire the child's sense of self-worth by creatively and effectively teaching the components of good character and illustrating them with examples present in everyday activities." 


For more information about Jasper Mountain Center Please visit: Jasper Mountain.
For more information about this book is available on: http://www.littleyewtree.com/. 

Would you like to win a copy of this book? Just comment on why you would like to win it. Winners chosen by random.org on 6/10/12.