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How to Grow a Family Tree

by Bea Birdsong and Jasu Hu

October 7, 2025 Neal Porter Books/Holiday House

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.