Review by Booklist Review
This quaint, heartfelt story follows the fate of a stunted little fir tree, the runt of the Christmas tree farm, upon being taken to the city for the holiday season. By Christmas Eve, the scrawny tree little more than a branch is the only one unsold. When a boy asks the shop clerk if he might have the unwanted tree, he is thrilled when the answer is yes. Readers watch as the boy carefully carries his prize through crowds of holiday shoppers, until he sets it down, at last, by the bridge under which he sleeps. The joy the tree brings spreads to passersby, and a street musician joins the boy, striking up a carol on his accordion. Sutton's saturated watercolors create rich, folk-art-style scenes that reflect the classic spirit of the story. Its gentle, uplifting message is well suited for holiday sharing, while the beautiful illustrations invite lingering looks. Readers will be happy to see that the little tree's story doesn't end with the Christmas season, but extends into a fulfilling future.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A homeless boy and a scraggly fir tree rescue each other in this somber tale about the potential in all living things, including those that society casts aside. As the shopping bustle winds down on Christmas Eve, a boy wanders into a department store, attracted by the warmth and decorations. He spies a clerk throwing away a dejected fir tree and asks if he can have it. The late Huddy makes readers privy to the tree's thoughts, and although it isn't initially thrilled to be planted in a cardboard box under a bridge, the boy's makeshift Christmas display attracts a gathering of carolers and musicians. Huddy's story faces unpleasant realities and injustices head on, and Sutton's (Tiny Creatures) finely detailed watercolors do the same, but while the tree thrives after being replanted in a city park, the boy's fate is unknown-he simply wanders off-making for an inconclusive and unsettling ending. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This British import relies on beautiful illustrations to energize a slight tale. A stunted pine is harvested and rejected by everyone until a homeless boy takes it, plants it in a box, and decorates it with candles, creating a joyful Christmas moment in the busy wintry city. The tree, whose thoughts provide the focus of the book, is happy because the boy has forgotten that he will be sleeping in a box and eating from a soup kitchen. "The magic of Christmas Eve was everywhere." But a few days later the boy walks away, leaving the tree for dead until a kind street sweeper, seeing a green shoot, plants it in a park where, against all odds, it grows and has a happy life. Sutton's folkloric illustrations have great charm and are full of interesting details, although they don't support the notion that this clearly chopped off tree has the roots to enable it to grow once planted. VERDICT This frankly sentimental holiday title requires a suspension of disbelief to buy into the Christmas magic.-Anne Connor, 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
Huddys romanticized story is the tale of a scraggly fir tree that begins life in a Christmas-tree forest and is cut down and taken, tangled up with a healthier tree, to the city. The little fir brings cheer to a homeless boy on Christmas Eve, unites the city in song, and ends up being planted in a park where, against all odds (and against the rules of botanymust be that seasonal magic!), it flourishes. Suttons fine-lined watercolors, with their subdued hues on creamy paper, nod to the texts wistfulness without veering into nostalgia or melancholy. The Magic of Christmas Eve Was Everywhere spread, especially, captures the holiday glow. elissa gershowitz (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 small, crooked fir tree becomes a Christmas tree for a homeless boy and then grows into a huge and healthy tree in a park.The scraggly tree begins life as a crooked seedling on a Christmas tree farm. It is mistakenly sent to a city along with larger trees and given away on Christmas Eve to a boy who is living under a railway bridge. He plants the tree in a small box filled with muddy dirt and decorates the tree with candles, and his glowing Christmas tree draws a huge crowd of city folk who join together singing Christmas carols. A street sweeper later finds the discarded, half-dead tree and plants it in a park, where it miraculously grows tall and healthy. While the detailed watercolor illustrations and large trim size are appealing, there are some logical gaps in the text and puzzling inconsistencies between text and illustrations. For example, the text indicates the mature tree is not big and tall but at least cheerfully stout, and the illustrations clearly show a very tall tree. While the tree survives against all odds, children will wonder what happened to the homeless boy and care about his welfare more than the future of a tree. The boy and most of the other characters are white; a few people in crowd scenes have dark skin. Attractive illustrations fail to save an ultimately unsatisfying story. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
