Reuben and the Rainbow Tree

The Rainbow Tree, standing in the center of the village, has branches so large and so high that no one can see the top of the Rainbow Tree. The villagers do not know that a family of monkeys lives in the Rainbow Tree. The leaves on the Rainbow Tree are all different sizes colors and shapes. The monkeys are also different from each other and have learned to get along with each other.

A very young, boy monkey named Reuben likes to ride on his mother’s back, just as many baby monkeys do. His mother tells Reuben to hold on tight so that he will not fall, but Reuben wants to play with the older monkeys, even though he isn’t old enough yet to jump from branch to branch. Reuben decides to sneak away from his mother while she is asleep. Reuben jumps from one branch to another branch and then jumps again—but then he misses the tree branch and begins to fall! Can the Rainbow Tree rescue Reuben?

In this children’s story, a small monkey named Reuben ignores his mother, jumps from branch to branch in the Rainbow Tree, and falls—learning a valuable lesson in the process.

Leon Shargel has always enjoyed telling stories to his children and grandchildren. Now in his second childhood, he is publishing these stories to be read, told and shared with others. He recently published his first story, The Rainbow Tree. This second story is part of a series of stories that is based on the Village of the Rainbow Tree.

Leon Shargel is a retired professor of pharmacy and former vice president for a major pharmaceutical company. Previously, he published textbooks and scientific papers.

Jahnavi Issar is a talented 13 year old artist. This is the second time that she has drawn illustrations for a children’s story. She is an IB student at Letha Raney Intermediate School, Corona California. In her spare time, she likes to draw and listen to music.