Review by Booklist Review
Left behind when all the taller, more symmetrical evergreens are cut down, a small and misshapen forest tree passes a lonely night . . . until wild animals appear carrying natural decorations and fill the clearing with Christmas cheer. When a shooting star arrives, the evergreen becomes a beautiful, festive tree of light, and as Zommer (The Big Book of Birds, 2019) puts it in the sonorous narrative: Among the creatures great and small, / I felt loved / I felt tall! Though similar in plot to Rachel Elliot's pop-up The Little Christmas Tree (2016), the episode offers painted forest scenes featuring quiet, dignified wildlife and conifers of diverse species surrounding a stunted, lumpish tree that wears its sprigs and feathers beautifully and then goes on to grow through multiple seasons to become, in the end, not tall but stately. Less a celebration of Christmas, which registers just a minor presence, or considering the fate of all the other trees of life, this tale of vegetative self-actualization may stay with readers for its lyrical language and harmonious art.--John Peters Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"While other trees/ grew poised and tall,/ I lagged behind," mourns a small evergreen in the midst of a forest, "looking different. Feeling small." When winter comes and families flood the area looking for Christmas trees, the quirky conifer is left alone: "It was just me now." After it cries out, closely worked spreads by Zommer show forest animals converging on the tree at dawn, their eyes wide open and expressive, their forms arrayed in folk perspective like a medieval tableau. A bear, a fox, and others festoon the tree with leaf garlands "until I was a jolly, festive tree," and the sky above offers the tree a crowning touch. Finely brushed textures are applied with care throughout, conveying a sense of richness. Though the holiday theme is present, it's less important than the idea of finding home and companionship throughout the seasons, and Zommer's spreads convey reassurance to that end. Ages 3--7. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--On the cover of this book, a small, unassuming tree is center stage, with forest animals hovering about. Bits of the cover are embossed, which will appeal to the youngest hands. The little tree is passed over repeatedly as Christmas shoppers choose bigger, more impressive trees. But when the crowds are gone, forest friends go out of their way to adorn the little tree with all kinds of pretty decorations found in the forest they share. The little tree is jubilant at the end and knows that he is loved. The story is less about Christmas and more about feeling left out but ultimately finding yourself appreciated. This parable is sweet and serves as a good alternative for teachers and parents who want to avoid holiday titles with overt religious overtones. The message of feeling good about oneself makes it a natural fit for the classroom. VERDICT A good alternative for those whose holiday celebrations are not tied to a particular religion. Children will identify with the little tree's plight and might find some adventure searching for "decorations" in the woods for their own trees.--Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
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Review by Horn Book Review
A crooked little pine tree doesn't measure up to its peers: "While other trees / grew poised and tall, / I lagged behind. / Looking different. / Feeling small." With the first snowfall, the tree watches as all the others are brought home for Christmas. "'I-I-I-is anyone there?' / I stuttered into the night" and, gloriously, someone is! Forest animals gather and dress the tree with berries, feathers, and more until the "clearing rang with Christmas cheer." The narrator's eventual self-acceptance-thanks to new friends-underscores the message that Christmas is about companionship and togetherness. Zommer's illustrations capture piney textures and manage to imbue the scraggly arboreal underdog with heart and personality. Katrina Hedeen November/December 2019 p.36(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
O (little) Christmas tree!Though it's not as scraggly as the tree Charlie Brown selects in the television special, the little fir tree who narrates this story isn't like the others in the forest. A scene in springtime reads, "While other trees grew poised and tall, / I lagged behind. / Looking different. / Feeling small." When humans come to cut down trees to decorate for Christmas, the little fir tree isn't chosen. It stands, lonesome, surrounded by the stumps of the other fir trees, with bare-branched deciduous trees in the background. In a happy turn, woodland animals hear the tree's cries and bring "berries, feathers, / nuts, and flowers" to decorate it right where it stands. It's a joyful, peaceable kingdom of a scene, enlivened with a bit of whimsy when the tree says that "a shooting star dropped down // [and] sank into my branches and shone so pure, / so bright, that I became a tree of light." Here and throughout, Zommer's gentle, warm illustrations outshine the text, which falters in its cadence and rhyme. Closing spreads show the tree growing taller, if still a bit crooked and spindly, with birds and forest animals around it. The final spread depicts a child of color and a white child reading books at its base, affirming the act of reading that brought real children to this closing page.Beautiful to behold but uneven to read. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
