Can a family tree be found? A girl stresses over her heritage-mapping school assignment, until she realizes family is all around—her neighbors and friends.

All week, Emmylou’s classmates share their family trees, branches filled with faces and names. But Emmylou’s tree is almost bare; there’s only her and Mama.

There are also Emmylou’s neighbors—Mrs. Patel, Mr. Li, and Rosa, Gabriel, and their twins. People who look after Emmylou and who she looks after too. But neighbors can’t go on a family tree . . . can they?

With Bea Birdsong’s powerfully affecting text and Jasu Hu’s lustrous illustrations, How to Grow a Family Tree tenderly examines found family and the bonds we choose to nurture.