After days of fierce fighting a young soldier moves carefully across the battle ground searching for his brother. Amongst the littered branches he spies a pinecone, its scent reminds him of his mother’s garden. He pockets it and keeps searching. On the hill behind him remains a tree, a lone pine that has escaped the damage of the war.
The soldier sends a pine cone home to his mother. The war has ended and she stands holding the pine cone thinking of her three sons. Three went but only two returned. As she turns the cone a few seeds fall out. Gathering the seeds, she plants them in a pot and is reminded of that lone pine on a hill far away whenever she waters. Three shoots appear turning soon into three saplings. Two grow taller but the third does not survive. Soon it is time to plant them out. The mother gives one to Inverell where her sons grew up and the other, she sends to Canberra to be planted at the war memorial when it is opened.
The Battle of Lone Pine was one of the fierciest of the Gallipoli campaign with many thousands killed. They are remembered through the gift of a mother born out of her own grief and loss. The book gently balances the various threads, the horror of war, the loss and grief of those left behind and the need for remembrance. Contributing to this balance is the emotional impact of the illustrations. You feel the grief of the brother and the loneliness of the mother and the impact of the elements on the trees. The opening spread of a storm-tossed tree contrasts with the final spread of the tree standing strong as the storm clouds clear and a bright day beckons.
This one pine cone has seeded several generations of new trees. Some have replaced trees that have died and others planted in memorial gardens throughout Australia. In 1990, two were planted on the Gallipoli Peninsula by a group of Anzac veterans. The book also includes further details of the family who inspired this unique symbol of remembrance as well as details of the Battle of Lone Pine and the planting of these trees around Australia.
Picture Books for Older Readers
