WE ALL NEED A FRIEND
This story begins at its end with the protagonist, a stately Royal Palm, reflecting on her beautiful new home. Born on an island in the middle of an ocean that was often brushed with violent storms, she grew up in the shadows of short, plain palm trees who protected her while she was little. The Royal Palm dreamed of living in the garden of a majestic palace. As she grows older, the Royal Palm brags about her beauty and becomes snobby, refusing to play with her plain cousins. She admonishes the green parrots and lizards who mess up her hair and leaves. What she does not realize is that as she grows taller, she becomes weaker and more vulnerable. The day will come when the sun will parch her roots and violent winds will bend her limbs. How does she survive?

As is the case with Mrs D's other books, the language is lyrical and colorful. She describes the Royal Palm: “Glittering with playful diamonds, her silver dress waved in the air, filled with aroma and warmth.” In contrast, the plain palms are depicted as “dressed in dull brown dresses.” Mrs. D effectively employs the techniques of alliteration, personification and analogy to communicate her message. Chanoa's illustrations filled with gorgeous pastel colors and animated facial expressions never fail to disappoint the reader.

This book is targeted for ages six through ten. Younger readers are able to follow the story while it is read aloud through the illustrations, while children aged eight and older will be better suited to independent reading of the text. Mrs D addresses many of the difficult issues children face in dealing with their peers in a whimsical, charming tale. Highly recommended.

A meaningful children's book by a fantastic writer Mrs. D! An unforgettable story that provides life lessons for our children!

Mrs. D. is a very talented storyteller who knows how to convey magic into each of her stories. So far her magical books, full of delightful illustrations, never disappointed my children or I. All her stories are taken from real life, probably at some point relived by the writer or observed somewhere in nature. They sound very believable and often I wonder if they were real or were they pure imagination of this terrific writer. Reading them with my children, they help my mood dramatically. I am not a shame to laugh or cry. What I love most about Mrs. D's classic books is that each of her stories carry positive emotions, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, and clear messages, hiding behind a colorful lyrical language, providing so needed lessons for our children. Her stories read like a little chapter taken from real life.

The main character in this book is the Royal Palm that grew up in an atmosphere of love and kindness, under the protection of her older cousins. Over time she has grown tall, slim and beautiful, but very self-centered. Blinded by her own beauty, she quickly turned away from her family and friends not realizing that when troubles come there will be no one to stretch her a helping hand. Who is going to help her to cope with loneliness at night and deal with fear when the hurricane slams the tiny island? Will the snobby tree realize that the loss of her friends and family will have a huge impact on her life? Through the journey of the selfish palm the author knowingly animates the natural world close to reality. It leaves readers wondering about their own choices, behavior and perhaps make them look inside themselves. This haunting story teaches you about family and friends, respecting friendship, being kind, loyal and caring and your life will be fulfilled with positive feelings. The author beautifully conveys the main idea to the reader: no one can live a life of solitude. As the author stated in her book: "Everyone needs someone." Appreciate friends, love each other, cherish each passing day, and you'll see how much you can get in return just by being good toward others.

This brilliantly designed book attracts attention from the first glimpse. Colorful artwork is beaming from each page! Rich pastel illustrations throughout the book take readers into the fascinating world of fairy tales, filled with exotic characters, mystical surroundings, blue sky, ocean and beach. They will leave readers yearning to learn more about the Caribbean heritage and inspire children to be kind and more sensitive to their friends.

The Royal Palm is a teaching and inspiring story that will leave an infinite positive effect on kids and parents. My children and I enjoyed this beautifully illustrated children's book and highly recommend it to parents, teachers and librarians. If you did not discover Mrs. D' s books yet, please get The Royal Palm for the little people in your life! I am raising my children on good quality children's books and The Royal Palm is one of them. Another terrific children's book by award-winning author Mrs. D, which provides valuable lessons for our children! My family loves all Mrs. D's classic books. We are looking forward to her future books!

In the fictional book The Royal Palm by Mrs. D, the reader can see that the palm princess tree is self centered, disrespectful, and has bad manners. The reader can grasp that the palm princess is like that by the way she treats everyone in the story, but how far can she get without anyone to help. One thing very unique about this story is that not only does the animals and trees interact with each other , the natural forces interacted like wind , clouds , n the sun interacted with them to. The illustrator Chanoa really brought the story to life with the blend of colors,and giving it that shimmery mystical fairytale glow, Chanoa did an astounding job. I seriously recommend this title to anyone because not only will the illustrations catch your eye, it has a great lesson in how you can't always do things on your own.

Another lovely book by talented and creative author, Mrs. D. In her new book, Mrs. D weaves a story about a royal palm tree. The tale begins at the end and travels back in time to when the Palm was just a small tree. The Palm is a selfish and self-absorbed tree that doesn't think she needs the support of the other sister trees nearby until one day a storm arises.

The underlying theme to the story is enlightening and children will learn the importance of friendship and working together. The story is written in Mrs. D's lyrical and colorful prose with artistic and beautiful illustrations that compliment the story to perfection. I highly recommend this book.

Classic Mrs.D!
An egotistical Royal Palm discovers that she cannot survive without others in this fanciful tale. Imaginative characters are personified in the rich, manga style illustrations that bring Mrs. D.'s expressive words to life. Another classic Mrs. D. narrative told in her very unique and charming manner.