AUTHOR: Colleen Monroe
STARTED: December 27, 2012
FINISHED: December 27, 2012
PAGES: 32
GENRE: Juvenile
FIRST SENTENCE: Every year as traditions go, they get in their cars at the first sign of snow, and head to the farm at the edge of town, to cut the family Christmas tree down.
SUMMARY: [From Barnes and Noble] The story of a sad tree who was overlooked each year and never selected as a Christmas tree is told in rhymed couplets. Now the tree knows he is too big to be selected by a family. The animals of the forest tell him how important he is to them. Squirrel says the tree's branches have kept him warm, Cardinal says he has been protection from the wind, and Deer says his needles have made a warm bed. Still, the tree wishes he could be a Christmas tree. The animals go into action, each bringing decorations such as acorns, icicles and berries. The birds sing and the tree realizes, "it wasn't as important to be a Christmas tree,/ but to always be the best friend you can be."
THOUGHTS: Whilst on our Christmas vacation, The Boyfriend and I visited an art museum with his parents. One of the exhibits at said art museum was a Christmas tree display. Each Christmas tree was decorated according to a classic Christmas tale. Most of the trees were obvious (The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Frosty the Snowman, etc.), one tree was not. That tree was decorated according to this book; a book I've never heard of. Luckily for me, each tree had a copy of the book on display. Since this was a children's book, we picked it up and read the story.
This book was really cute and had a heart warming tale. Our hero is a tree who is sad that he keeps getting picked over for smaller, cuter trees. Sad face. But all is not lost. The forest animals love the big tree and all he provides to them. So they dress him up as a Christmas tree using stuff found in the forest. The story is utterly charming. It was a perfect, cute read (and one that actually ended my reading year).
The illustrations were also gorgeous. The colors were rich and vibrant, giving the book a feel of the holidays. The expressions on the animals and tree were adorable and lively. Even if you didn't read the story, the book was pretty to look at.
I might consider adding this book to my collection (when I finally get around to creating a Christmas book collection).
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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