Review by New York Times Review
Charles and his friend Boggan - a cute red toboggan whose rope handle gives him a rather convincing smiling face - take a jaunt through snowy woods to find a "wish tree," though Charles's siblings insist there's no such thing. This ingeniously nondenominational tale brings a lovely serene pace to classic holiday themes like giving to others and gathering with dear ones. Perhaps most magical is Turnham's art, which somehow makes soft mauves, pinks and grays take on a holiday sparkle. THE GREAT SPRUCE By John Duvall. Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. 40 pp. Putnam. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Why do we chop down Christmas trees, anyway? Duvall is out to persuade readers to try a live tree. Alec loves climbing the tall spruce his grandpa planted, but a crew wants it for a city's holiday display. The boy suggests they "borrow" it, digging it up and replanting it later. He and Grandpa get rides on a barge with the tree and seats at the celebration, a sweet outcome for an act that's its own reward. Gibbon's loose art is just right, making the winter world look teeming, twinkling and homey. A HAT FOR MRS. GOLDMAN: A Story About Knitting and Love By Michelle Edwards. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. 32 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) "Keeping keppies warm is our mitzvah," Mrs. Goldman tells her young neighbor. They make hats together: The older lady knits, Sophia does the pom-poms. But when she sees Mrs. Goldman without a hat - she gave hers away - Sophia decides to learn to knit. Edwards's ("Chicken Man") story is not explicitly about the holiday, but a Hanukkah message emanates from the celebration of winter mitzvahs, or kind deeds. Karas's ("As an Oak Tree Grows") adorable, radiant art adds to the heartwarming mood. THE CHRISTMAS BOOT By Lisa Wheeler. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, 32 pp. Dial. $17.99 (Picture book ages 4 to 8) A poor old woman named Hannah lives alone in a cabin in the woods. She finds a warm boot in the snow - just one - in this folksy fable about deprivation, abundance and the spirit of Christmas. Another boot appears, then mittens, and her cabin becomes "a big fancy house." But it's not right for her. A visitor comes - kids will happily guess who - to claim the boot but leave what Hannah really needs. As always, Pinkney's soft, colorful watercolors find deep beauty and interest in simple things. SUN MOON STAR By Kurt Vonnegut. Illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff. 64 pp. Seven Stories/Triangle Square. $22.95. (Picture book; ages 5 and up) Vonnegut's beguiling children's book, first published in 1980, spins the Nativity tale in a cerebral, humanist direction. "When the Creator of the Universe /. . . resolved to be born / as a male human infant," the situation is much like any baby's birth: An awed crowd materializes, the tiny one struggles to see. Yet it's also a celestial event, with the players angling to see the "real Christmas star" - playfully presented in the great designer Chermayeff's shifting, minimalist cutouts against jewel tones. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 11, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
Alec loves climbing trees, and his favorite is the great spruce his grandfather planted years ago. One day, men come and ask to cut down the tree for the city's Christmas celebration. However, the squeal of the chainsaw isn't half as loud as the screams from Alec to stop! Suggesting they only loan the tree, Alec and his grandpa go along as the dug-up tree is transported and cheering crowds welcome it to the city square. After the holiday, Alec gives the citizens a spruce cone to plant so that they too can watch the seedling grow into a mighty spruce. An author's note explains how the tradition of the giant tree placed in Rockefeller Center in New York City started during the Great Depression in 1931. The folklike artwork in acrylic ink and colored pencil on the oversize pages is bright and joyful. The dark green palette for the magnificent tree and the colorful city streets and people, bright lights, and snowflakes against deep blue backgrounds enhance this story about the splendor of living trees.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Alec loves to climb the spruce tree his grandfather planted years ago, but this year men arrive hoping to use it as a centerpiece in a city holiday display. Distraught, Alec suggests a compromise: "You can borrow the tree instead!" Alec, his grandfather, and members of their community dig up the tree in order to preserve its roots before it travels to the city via tugboat and horse-drawn sleigh. Gibbon's (The Bee Who Spoke) images of a countryside speckled with cottages and snowy cityscapes recall the work of Ludwig Bemelmans, amplifying the sweetly nostalgic mood of newcomer Duvall's story. The city isn't identified, but visual cues suggest it to be New York City, and a closing note discusses how live trees were once used in Rockefeller Center and then replanted on Long Island-a practice that has fallen out of favor, Duvall laments. Ages 5-8. Illustrator's agency: Riley Illustration. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-In this picture book debut, the author addresses a subject close to his heart. Alec is a boy who lives in the country and loves to climb trees, particularly a great spruce, planted decades ago by his grandfather. Every winter he and his grandpa decorate the tree for Christmas, until one year when some men ask his parents if they can use it for the distant city's annual Christmas celebration. Alec's parents consider it an honor, but Alec protests, declaring that the tree could be borrowed instead. It takes time and work, but the tree is carefully dug up, shipped to the city on a barge, and placed in the city center to be enjoyed by everyone. After the holidays, it is returned to Alec's yard and continues to grow, while a sapling takes root in the city square. In an author's note Duvall discusses the tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas, as well as the origin of the annual Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City. There was a brief time when the center used live trees, and Duvall makes the case for returning to this practice rather than killing a valuable living tree. Gibbon's illustrations are large and brightly hued, with a naive style and a shifting perspective that highlights the size and grandeur of the great spruce. VERDICT An attractive holiday offering with an environmental focus.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2016. 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
A great, tall spruce his grandpa had transplanted from the forest to the familys land before Alec was born is the boys favorite to climb, and every year he and his grandpa decorate it for Christmas. When men from the city arrive to cut it down for the towns annual celebration, Alec springs into action: he convinces the city to borrow the tree instead (to his grandpas pride: Alec was clearly listening to his tale of transplanting). Its both a green and a festive solution that underscores the compassion of Christmas. (And for those who find it credulity-stretching, an authors note mentions the brief history of Rockefeller Center using live spruce trees and replanting them.) Gibbons cozy acrylic-ink and colored-pencil art accentuates the trees grandeur in both its idyllic country home and its big-city home-away. katrina hedeen (c) Copyright 2016. 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
A boy named Alec saves his familys huge spruce tree from being cut down as a Christmas tree.Alec loves the gigantic tree his grandpa planted decades earlier. Every year Alec and Grandpa decorate the tree with ornaments and outdoor lights. When Alecs parents agree to let the tree be cut down for a nearby citys Christmas tree, Alec convinces his family and the local townspeople to dig it up instead. The huge tree is dug up and transported by truck, barge, and horse-drawn sleigh to the big city, which appears to be New York. Alec and his grandfather go along with the tree, and the boy gets to turn the switch at the tree-lighting ceremony with the mayor. The story has the flavor of a tall tale, as the tree seems too impossibly huge to dig up and move and then return to its original home, and the tree seems to have grown even taller in its temporary location in the city. Appealing illustrations in acrylic ink and colored pencil and a huge trim size accommodate all the different views of the giant tree and its unusual journey. Alec and his family are white, the mayor of the big city has dark skin and hair, and the crowd scenes include people of many ethnic backgrounds. A pleasant holiday story with a subtle hint to protect living trees instead of cutting them down. (authors note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
