Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the voice of the titular character, Cole (A Nest for Celeste) wistfully recounts the life and times of a Christmas tree. The sound of chain saws in late autumn stirs fear in the tree that has come to love growing on a wide-open hillside. The tree's small stature spares it from the blade. Instead it's bundled, roots and all, off to the Christmas tree lot where a family brings it home for a holiday celebration and a new life afterward. Bucolic expanses of evergreen forest and closeups of woodland creatures may give readers new appreciation for that quintessential seasonal decoration. Ages 4-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Told from the perspective of a small evergreen, this tale begins with the narrator as a sprout and continues through the seasons until men come with their chainsaws. Luckily, the tree's size saves it from being cut down. "They dug me out of the earth and bound my roots tightly with cloth and rope. Then I too was put on the truck." Taken to a Christmas tree lot, it is taken home by a family where it is decorated with ornaments and begins to feel loved. After a few weeks, the evergreen is replanted in the yard, where it grows big and strong. Illustrations are of a contemporary setting with nature's beauty brought forth through the lush greenery. A fine Christmas choice with an environmental message.-Diane Olivo-Posner, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Raised on a hillside amongst its fellow pines, the littlest eve green, Cole's narrator, is dug out of the earth late one autumn by men searching for Christmas trees. They forgo using their chainsaw on it, believing it "too small to make much of tree," but a young family purchases it and, after Christmas, replants the pine, which thrives. The tree's small stature, once thought to be its greatest weakness, is what allows it to escape the fate of curbside pickup and to have a "long and beautiful life." Through a clear, engaging text and lush yet lively illustrations, Cole celebrates embracing that which makes us unique in a narrative that also focuses on respecting nature. laura marenghi (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This tale is narrated by an anthropomorphic, talking Christmas treethat describes its life cycle from seedling through a Christmas season as a decorated tree and then on to full growth as a tall evergreen.The tree marks its growth through all sorts of weather and recounts the different birds that have nested in its branches. One year, in late fall, workers with chain saws cut down the surrounding trees, but the narrating tree is too small, so it is dug up and taken to the sales lot as a living tree. A family purchases the tree, decorating it for Christmas and then planting it in their yard. The final illustration shows the immense, full-grown tree, who has had "a long and beautiful life." Ascribing human emotions to the narrator tree strains credulity, and the sadness attributed to the cut trees will make anyone with that sort of tree in the house feel guilty. Serviceable illustrations in double-page spread format adequately support the text, but the narrating tree never truly takes root as a real character.Talking Christmas trees really aren't a good idea for a children's book.(Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
