clutch of islands had already been densely covered with cedar trees for thousands of years.

The sturdy and sweet-scented tree that enabled Sir George Somers and his party to build two small vessels after they were shipwrecked on the Island just six years later, is celebrated today as the Island's national tree. Now, the story of `The Bermuda Cedar Tree' has become a children's book, written by Kevin Stevenson and illustrated by Helen Daniel.

"I got the idea on holiday,'' says Mr. Stevenson. "It had been at the back of my mind for some time, and one night when I couldn't sleep, I finally put it on paper. The first draft was finished by dawn that day, and then I spent a few weeks polishing it when I returned home. I thought that Helen was the perfect talent to illustrate the book which, in essence, is very simple. She was very enthusiastic about the project, completing all of the pictures in record time and I'm very pleased with the results.'' "This is my first book,'' says Ms Daniels, but it's something I've always wanted to do, so this has been very exciting for me.'' The book, which describes how prehistoric marine volcanoes formed the very basis of our Island, goes on to explain how the cedar, along with other creatures and plants that sailed in on the sea, or drifted in on the wind, made Bermuda its home.

In his historical note at the end of the book, Mr. Stevenson writes that, at the time of settlement, cedars numbering hundreds of thousands, covered every island in the archipelago. The durability of the wood caused great demand and, as early as the 1600's, legislation was passed in what must be Bermuda's earliest conservation effort. He notes that although the cedar was still the dominant tree by the dawn of the 20th century, overcrowding and disease gradually took their toll. The accidental introduction of the Oyster-shell Scale and the Juniper Scale caused the demise of at least 85 percent of the cedar population by 1951, with more than 100,000 being felled during and after the scale infestation. He reveals that, with thousands of seedlings having been planted over the last couple of decades, the Bermuda cedar tree is, at last, flourishing again.

Well known for her vibrant, Bermuda-themed gouache paintings, Helen Daniel chose the same medium for her illustrations. "Kevin gave me the outline of the story and I also discussed the project with Paul Shapiro (book designer) and we agreed on the format. It was great working so closely with Paul because he's a true professional and taught me some of the dynamics of book design. I have never, for instance, had to compose a picture that left a gap in the middle for the text! I went away and did half-size pen and ink drawings -- some of them `worked', and some didn't, so we kept experimenting. It wasn't always easy,'' she adds with a laugh. "We all know that cedar was used by Bermuda's earliest inhabitants to make furniture, for instance, but I didn't want to draw a a stiff row of chairs and tables!'' Typically, Ms Daniel has solved this problem by showing chairs, tables, jugs, bowls and beakers flying out of a cedar chest -- "symbolically, I suppose, I saw the cedar tree as a kind of Pandora's Box that produced all these lovely things.'' Her bright colours are especially well suited for a child's book, she believes. With a BA Honours and Masters degrees in textiles from Manchester Metropolitan University, her design background is also very evident: scarlet volcanoes tower over curlicues of fiery oceans, with a splendidly bearded King Neptune ruling the waves long before pirates (fantastically attired in 16th century doublet and hose) and Sir George Somers made their appearance. With colourful and symbolic borders (hammers for shipbuilding, isobars for stormy weather), she illustrates how the cedar tree itself became a symbol of Bermuda's growth: for trading vessels, homes, furniture, and even firewood, before the almost fatal `scale' blight of the 1940's and then, their gradual re-emergence over the last decade -- one of her illustrations is festooned with `hearts' and a happy-looking bride and groom who still pursue the old custom of planting a cedar seedling on their wedding day as a symbol of future happiness.

And which is her favourite illustration in the book? "Well, I love the little Spaniard with a musket -- which I took from a drawing in the Maritime Museum and I do like Sir George in his Sea Venture . Also, I think the death of the cedars is a very sad-looking page -- in the border I've drawn those evil little bugs that did all the dirty work! And I'm rather fond of Mother Nature, whom I've decked out in a kind of `hippy' caftan as she helped sew a new generation of cedars.'' Helen Daniel has established herself as one of Bermuda's leading artists, working in a variety of media since her arrival here in 1993. Her work has been shown in major exhibitions in Moscow, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, the Commonwealth Institute in London and at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Her distinctive, Bermuda-inspired paintings are also to be found in many public and corporate collections here in Bermuda, in Toronto, and England, as well as the Bermuda Department of Tourism's New York office.

`The Story of the Bermuda Cedar Tree', priced at $15, is on sale throughout the Island. Helen Daniel and Kevin Stevenson will be signing copies of the book on Friday, October 31 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Bermuda Bookstore, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at Washington Mall Magazines, from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. at A.S. Cooper's and on Saturday, November 1, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Book Mart.

NEW BOOK FOR CHILDREN -- `The Story of the Bermuda Cedar Tree' by Kevin Stevenson with illustrations by artist Helen Daniel goes on sale this week.