Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden

Brandon Walden’s New Book on The Power of Words

“Be careful what you water, because it will surely grow” is the powerful message of the children’s book Seeds and Trees, written by Redding author Brandon Walden.

With illustrations by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell, Seeds and Trees is the story of a young prince who gathers seeds from those he encounters. The seeds are either green or dark.  He plants the seeds and even though he dutifully waters and cares for them, he realizes that the trees produced from the dark seeds are harming the ones that grew from the green. He also learns, with the help of a dear friend, that he can cut down and uproot the dark trees and plant green seeds in their place, resulting in a beautiful, lush garden.

The illustrated storybook was born out of Walden’s desire to teach parents, caregivers, and children just how powerful the spoken word can be. “Our words can hurt, or our words can heal,” he says. The book is meant to help “uproot the seeds of shame” that often come with various forms of childhood trauma. It is designed to assist parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists with the language they can use to help children identify the bad seeds, or words, that they have been hearing. 

Walden and his wife, Stephanie, are the founders of The Treasured Tree, a publishing house and collaborative group of content creators. The sole focus of the Treasured Tree, according to the website, “is producing content that encourages the hearts of children and children at heart.” They do this through various forms of media like children’s books, video illustrations, peer to peer content, social experiments, and speaking engagements.

With a background in business, Walden says “it was never my life’s goal to write children’s books.” Seeds and Trees started off as what he describes as “a passion project,” and took about three and a half years to complete. After seeing the response that the book has received, and “realizing the book had the potential that it did,” he says there are definitely more books in his future, with Seeds and Trees the first in a series that deals with different issues of the heart.

Walden says it is his hope that the book will cause parents to pause for a moment when speaking to their kids.  “As parents, we don’t always realize the impact that words can have,” he explains.

Walden describes Seeds and Trees being as much “for the child of heart as it is for children.” For very young children, Walden advises parents to “definitely take the time to explain the thoughts” and concepts in the books when reading with their children.

After the initial success of the book, a re-release of Seeds and Trees is in the works. Currently, the book is available through Amazon, and also locally at:

• The Redding Library, 1100 Parkview Ave, Redding.
• Bethel Bookstore, 933 College View Dr, Redding. 
• Sketch & Press, 1244 California St, Redding. 

Check for availability at your favorite local bookshop or library, or suggest they purchase it!

Visit The Treasured Tree.