THE GHOST TREE

About the Book

WILL AN ANCIENT LEDGEND WEAVE A YOUNG GIRL’S DESTINY? In a mountain village lived Grandmother Atl, a very talented weaver, and her granddaughter, Nemimati. Nemimati wants nothing more than to help her grandmother live a better life, so she convinces her to enter a contest where the winner will receive the title of Royal Weaver—and get to live in the comfort of the Royal Palace. Grandmother Atl sends Nemimati and her young friend, Mishtla, to gather the scarce magical red Coloring Beans with yellow centers from which a luminous golden dye can be made. Eventually, the children stop to rest near the ruins of a mysterious palace garden where the Spirit Tree of legend fortuitously appears and graciously fills their baskets. However, not until the day of the long-awaited contest do Nemimati and her grandmother hear the miraculous tree’s appearance explained. This mythic tale is set in the pre-Columbian era of a Toltec emperor who took his name from the god, Quetzalcoatl. His legend proclaims him a beneficent sovereign who promoted heartfelt sacrifice for one another rather than the religious rite of sacrificed hearts practiced by other rulers. It is also said that he presented his subjects with wealth and knowledge.

About the Author

When author and self-taught illustrator Daphne Oberon was four, her father, a British Explorer, took her to live in Baja California. Her first contact with peoples of Toltec heritage began with stories told to her by an Indian nursemaid. From age thirteen to fifteen, Daphne spent three years camping on the uninhabited island of Cerralvo in the Sea of Cortez. The tint from the brilliant red beans produced by the coral trees growing on the stark desert island provided inspiration for The Ghost Tree and its magic beans. Also by Daphne Oberon, AZULEJO, A Tale of Pearls, Promises and Legendary Horses, available through Outskirts Press, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Ingram, Books in Print, and Baker &Taylor.