From the Author
Obviously, 'Father Like A Tree' was my first book. And, it literally poured out of me during a time, I now realize, that was the most significant personal and professional crossroads of my life.
My family and I had just relocated to a small town not far from New York City. I had recently left a successful career in executive management, and my wife of 11-years was pregnant with our third child. One night, as I tucked-in my then four-year old daughter, she asked me, "Daddy, will you tell me a story?" Then, she added, "But, I want a story I've never heard before." The story I told her was 'Father Like A Tree.'
What I didn't know on that winter night in 2004 was the fact that my wife, Lori, had an advanced stage of an occult cancer, which was almost accidentally diagnosed less than a month later.
Even as my wife underwent treatment for the disease, I told the story of the beautiful bird and her three baby birds, by request, each night as I put my daughters to bed. A chance meeting with an obstetric nurse whose husband was the accomplished illustrator, Tom Hedderich, was the last piece I needed to move forward with the publication of that story I'd first told to my little girl that night.
In June of 2004, Lori gave birth to a healthy son, but she succumbed to her illness in February of the next year. 'Father Like A Tree' was released on Father's Day 2005. The dedication reads, "For Lori."
My family and I had just relocated to a small town not far from New York City. I had recently left a successful career in executive management, and my wife of 11-years was pregnant with our third child. One night, as I tucked-in my then four-year old daughter, she asked me, "Daddy, will you tell me a story?" Then, she added, "But, I want a story I've never heard before." The story I told her was 'Father Like A Tree.'
What I didn't know on that winter night in 2004 was the fact that my wife, Lori, had an advanced stage of an occult cancer, which was almost accidentally diagnosed less than a month later.
Even as my wife underwent treatment for the disease, I told the story of the beautiful bird and her three baby birds, by request, each night as I put my daughters to bed. A chance meeting with an obstetric nurse whose husband was the accomplished illustrator, Tom Hedderich, was the last piece I needed to move forward with the publication of that story I'd first told to my little girl that night.
In June of 2004, Lori gave birth to a healthy son, but she succumbed to her illness in February of the next year. 'Father Like A Tree' was released on Father's Day 2005. The dedication reads, "For Lori."
From the Inside Flap
On a spring day, a beautiful bird lands on the branch of a tree and decides to make it her home. She builds a nest and lays three eggs. Eventually, the beautiful bird hears the sound of pecking from inside the eggs. Three perfect and beautiful baby birds emerge into a world of leaves and branches. As the baby birds grow, the beautiful bird reveals important lessons about life, love, family, relationships, and perhaps much more.
Delightfully written by Matthew S. Field and breathtakingly illustrated by Tom Hedderich, 'Father Like A Tree' is a real-life fairytale that will be enjoyed and appreciated by young and old alike.
Delightfully written by Matthew S. Field and breathtakingly illustrated by Tom Hedderich, 'Father Like A Tree' is a real-life fairytale that will be enjoyed and appreciated by young and old alike.
