NIGHT TREE
by Eve Bunting & illustrated by Ted Rand
A classic nuclear family shares their own Christmas Eve tradition, leaving their conventionally decorated ranch house in Dad's pickup to deck a live tree in the woods with popcorn and fruit for the forest creatures. It's all deliberately cozy—the constant smiles; the hot chocolate and songs (the boy, who narrates, chooses a carol but little Nina wants "Old MacDonald"); the boy tucked in at the end under a Christmas quilt that echoes the forest scene. A warm Christmas card of a book, in the best sense; Rand's moonlit watercolors are sure to be as popular as the conventional but warmhearted story. (Picture book. 3-8)