A violent storm has just uprooted the giant, solitary ginkgo biloba in the botanical garden near the Green Valley Zoo. Little Leaf, among many others, wants to find his original roots to continue the cycle of life. This can only be achieved by finding the Golden Forest, far from here. Moreover, he must hurry, as winter is approaching.
Hip Hop, the little flea, volunteers for this adventure-filled mission. Sensitively narrated by Isabelle Müller and lovingly illustrated by Daniel Gaucher, this book is recommended to anyone who believes in true friendship.
Hip Hop then discovered a beautiful golden leaf hidden under a branch. “What happened, Little Leaf ?”, he asked.
“I fell down”, the leaf answered.“But all leaves have to fall down eventually”, Hip Hop replied, not understanding the problem. He put down his broom. “I know”, she said. “You see, once we fall down to the ground, the rain helps us to find our roots and thus continue the cycle of life.
Today my tree fell over and I will never come back on a branch again. I’m going to die and end up on a pile of manure…”, she concluded, crying once again.
“I don’t eat your kind of leaves anyway”, Piet said, comforting her.
“I don’t see any similar trees around”, Vera added, stretching her neck as far as she could. “And a tree of this size… no, there’s nothing”, Liselotte continued, adjusting her monocle to look more superior. “We would have to find its native land, quite simply!” “I’d love to, but I can’t remember the way”, the leaf replied. “I was too small when the humans gathered my tree.”
“So what are we going to do?”, Hip Hop asked, rolling his big questioning eyes. “We can’t let her die this way!”, he cried out. “Ginkgo… Ginkgo biloba…”, Liselotte reflected. “Yes, that’s it! I often heard the humans talking about a Golden Forest. And I even think I might know where it is!”
