This is a piece of realistic fiction by Lois Lowry.

Chrissy is thrilled when her grandfather builds her the best tree house she has ever seen. It is not complete, however, until Chrissy hangs a "KEEP OUT!" sign on the door. When her friend, Leah, asks to come up, Chrissy says, "No, it's just for me. " Leah decides to have a tree house built too. Each girl spends time alone in her tree house, and they do not speak to each other. After awhile, Chrissy has no more books to read and is finding it a bit lonely in her tree house. She calls over to Leah in her tree house to borrow a book. This breaks the ice between the two girls and they begin sharing things back and forth. But sharing requires constant trips up and down their ladders to meet on the ground and exchange stuff. The girls realize that they would like to share their houses with each other. They decide they need to change their "KEEP OUT" signs to "WELCOME"!

Chrissy finally gets the idea that a bridge between the two tree houses made of an wide plank of wood would enable them to visit each other easily. Somehow, each house is now more special because they can each share it with a friend.

Key Concepts to explore:

The pleasure of having things does not compare to the pleasure of having friends.

Sharing something with a friend increases its worth.

Sharing is something that true friends do.

Tell your child about any tree houses from your childhood. Does your child have a treehouse now? How do they use their tree house? Is it more fun shared with a sibling or friend? Does your child have anything that they enjoy more when they share it with a friend? (a special game, place to play, swing, trampoline, toy, etc?)
Vocabulary:

marvelous magnificent beautiful
peered height
Spelling:

the short /i/ sound.

Try: pick, risk, film, grip, brick, give, stitch, finish, trick, live

Story questions:

1. Why would Chrissy want to have her tree house all to herself at first?

2. What made her change her mind about this?

3. What does Leah say they can do to help each other across the bridge? (meet halfway and hold hands)

4. Why does Chrissy say the best part of a tree house is the bridge? (with the bridge, the girls can share their treehouses)

Return to Friendship Unit