When Lilah arrives home from school one day, her beloved cat Olive is nowhere to be found. Lilah checks all Olive’s favourite places. Olive is gone.

Lilah is upset and so they plant a tree in Olive’s memory. Lilah wants Olive back, not a stupid tree to remember her by.

No matter how Lilah rages at the tree in Olive’s absence, it grows tall, strong and gives shade for hot summer days. It drops olives everywhere to Lilah’s annoyance. She stubbornly avoids the tree.

Along comes another cat. Orange and stripy, nothing like Olive. Lilah will not allow it to sit in Olive’s favourite places. Memories of Olive still hurt and this cat has to go. And go it does – straight up the olive tree, where Lilah discovers Olive hasn’t completely gone after all.

A wonderful story for anyone who loves and loses a family pet, especially a cat. The illustrations portray all the emotions Liliah experiences as she goes through the stages of loss. Panic, upset, grief, anger, and finally acceptance.

The tree portrays the steadiness, love, patience, and dependability that Olive gave Lilah before she was gone. It just takes Lilah a little while to realise.

Author – Edwina Wyatt

Illustrator – Lucia Masciullo

Picture Book

(2021, Little Hare, Hardie Grant, Cat, Loss, Grief, Tree Planting, Remember, Denial, Pet, Memory)