The Singing Tree is a children's novel by Kate Seredy

Kate Seredy

Kate Seredy was a Hungarian-born writer and illustrator of children's books, written in the English language.-Life:...

, the sequel to The Good Master

The Good Master

The Good Master is a children's novel written and illustrated by Kate Seredy, set in the Hungarian countryside before World War I. It is a Newbery Honor book of 1936....

. Set on a farm in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, it continues the story of Kate and Jancsi four years after the end of the first book. As well as running the farm while the menfolk are away at war, they have relatives, German war orphans, and Russian prisoners of war to help. Illustrated by the author, the novel was first published in 1939 and was a Newbery Honor

Newbery Medal

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...

recipient in 1940.