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Picture-book story

Green World: a story in three chapters

A forest village grows a tree from a seed, links its tree homes and builds a hall for songs. You are the young builder with the satchel and the toolbox.

Chapter 1 The Seed

An old gardener hands you a big seed beside a forest village. — In the forest, an old gardener hands you a seed as big as your hand.

You water a young tree inside a little fence while deer watch. — You water it each day and build a fence to keep the deer away.

The villagers gather by the new tree, full of birds. — It grows into a tall young tree full of birds. The forest folk move closer.

From real life: Real trees grow slowly. An oak can take 20 years or more to grow its first acorns, and it can live for hundreds of years.

Chapter 2 Rope Bridges

You look up at tree houses high in giant trees, far apart. — The tree homes are far apart, and climbing between them takes all day.

A helper teaches you knots with climbing ropes beside a great tree. — You practice climbing and knots until your hands are sure.

You cross a rope bridge strung with lanterns at dusk. — Rope bridges link every tree, with lanterns swaying along them at dusk.

From real life: Rope bridges are still built across rivers and valleys, and canopy walkways let scientists study the tops of trees without harming them.

Chapter 3 The Song Hall

Villagers sit with you around the plans for a hall. — The forest folk want a place to share their stories.

You write down songs while a grandfather plays a lute and a grandmother sings. — You learn the old songs from the grandparents and write them down.

Children sing from songbooks in the hall while the grandparents listen. — The hall fills with music, and the little ones sing the old songs back.

From real life: Before books were common, songs and stories were passed down by heart, from grandparents to grandchildren.

The end. Now explore the real places

Explore the Green World Meet the people

The paintings come from Life RPG, the city-building game behind this site · Take the guided tour.

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