Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Waking one morning in December to find "a new star,/ barely visible,/ yet larger than any before" and having located a hilltop evergreen "more majestic than any before," Bear bellows out in all directions. Because "it was time," his call summons animals and people from everywhere, who amass "candle and copper,/ flower and oil," and gather around the evergreen in a spirit of peace. Andersen's artwork, rendered in oil paints on gessoed paper, echoes the story's feel of broad reverence through sweeping, snowy landscapes and an apt use of perspective. Schaefer's bucolic narrative never hints at the source of the "time," the star, or the tree, making this read potentially confusing for more literal-minded holiday readers. Still, it effectively considers the gentle togetherness that winter's coming ushers in. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--When a bear awakes one December and discovers a new star, he follows it until he finds a magnificent evergreen tree and then summons animals and people from across the world to gather beneath its branches. Bear sends its roar "through canyon and valley" and "over sea and peak." Heeding the call, which grows ever louder, animals from far and wide stream toward the tree. People come, too, many bearing candles, instruments, and other gifts. They come "from city and farm,/across ocean and desert,…/because it's time…for peace." The lyrical text is written in poem format and filled with compound objects such as "mask and drum" and "scroll and shawl." Many are alliterative. The beautiful oil paintings are all double-page bleeds, many on star-speckled blue backdrops amid falling snow. Semi-circular swishes of color along with yellow dots in the center and pink-dotted rays represent the star. Landscapes change as Bear's message reaches people in different parts of the world. There is so much to see, including a bird, bright red wings outspread, bearing an olive branch, a symbol of the message in the text's final word. The tree appears huge, bleeding off the page, surrounded by animals and people, and finally, in miniature atop the world. VERDICT Because it is suitable for readers of different faiths or even as a plea for peace, this is a perfect choice for all holiday collections. The symbols of the tree, the star, the gifts, and other aspects of the story are best appreciated through group discussion.--Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA
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Review by Horn Book Review
The first spread of this vaguely allegorical Christmas story tells us: "It was time." But for what? After "a new star" appears, a solitary bear searches for a majestic tree "that would be the center of all to come." He finds it, then calls forth animals as well as people from all over for a special celebration. "It was time... / for peace." A quiet and, yes, peaceful text delivers a message of unity and reverence for our world. Andersen's oil paintings match the calm tone of the story, with friendly creatures and people of many skin tones reveling together on snowy, star-lit landscapes. Katrina Hedeen November/December 2019 p.34(c) Copyright 2019. 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 lyrical testament to peace.Nothing definitively marks this as a Christmas book, but readers may be cued to understand it as such due to the opening reference "to a star / a new star, / barely visible, / yet larger than any before" that Bear spies "early one December morning." This star signals that "it was time," though for what remains a mystery until the book's end. First Bear searches for "a tree / a tree that would be strong, / a tree that would be tall, / a tree that would be the center / of all to come." An ideal evergreen appears, again evoking Christmas, but with subtlety. The text and the oil paintings, which have a soft visual texture, then combine to depict a peaceable kingdom of animals from different habitats gathering around the tree before diverse people assemble, too. Ultimately, they come "to the tree / / under a star / / because it was time" and then a final page turn delivers the concluding words, "for peace." The accompanying illustration shows a woman with light-brown skin and black, straight hair holding a swaddled baby as she gazes up at the star. The scene evokes Madonna-and-child imagery, but it resists such an easy parallel with the inclusion of other figures: Behind the pair stands a child with similar coloring, before them a fawn, and cardinals fly through the snowy, starlit sky.Serene yet enigmatic. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
