When a wild hazelnut accidentaly sprouted in a small neighborhood of Athens, a wonderful friendship developed between the children of the neighborhood and the lonely tree. The hazelnut’s best friend was a little boy named Doros. Doros loved the wild hazelnut that he climed on it every day, taled to it, sang to it and named it Fountou. Doros loved plants and Fountou very mach and wanted to become an agronomist when he grew upp so that he could plant and take care of the plants. Whwn one day the owner of the plot where the tassel had sprouted decided to build an apartent building, she hat to uproot it. When Doros understood what was going on to be done to save Fountou, he ased for the help of adults, upset all the school children who loved Fountou and when the bulldozer came near the tree, all the children climbed on the banches oh it and sang crying, the bif ones gathered around hi and so they all fought together and saved the tree. The hazelnut became a symbol of hope, cooperation for a common purpose and love for nature, in a atmosphere of humanity and emotion.

AUTHOR(Angeliki Varela)

Angeliki Varela was born in Thessaloniki and grew up in Athens. She is a graduate of the Historical-Archaeological Department of the Univesity of Athens. For the first time she dealt with the children’s books in 1966 and since then the genre has been devoted to the Literary Art with a strong presence in events organized by organizations related to the child and the children’s book throughout Greece. She has been awared by the Women’s Literary Society, the Greek Children’s Book Circle and by the Ministry of Education for the readings she wrote for primary school children. She is the president of the Women’s Literary Society and a member of the National Society of Greek Writers, of the Greek children’s Book cycle and of the Study and Research Club of Children’s Literature ROUTES.

MATSIKA ASIMINA