A CITY CHRISTMAS TREE
by Rebecca Bond & illustrated by Rebecca Bond
Where do Christmas trees come from when you live in a big city? If you are one of the four children in the Laroche family, your tree comes from the Christmas tree man at the end of the block. In bubbly, poetic text with a patterned structure, the Laroche children and their parents in turn twirl and skip down their street on successive days to check out the trees, adding another family member on each trip. The following corresponding pages show a fanciful interpretation of the reason why each person likes the city Christmas trees: the smell, the color, the lights, the angel on top and the extended family who will come to share the tree. The joyful text has an easy, bouncy rhythm, matched by motion-filled illustrations of the cheerful family members who have avoided any holiday stress in their lives. Bond’s acrylic paintings use a palette of softer shades with lots of pale blue for the shadows and snowy scenes, with the final spread showing the city spread out in shades of blue and lavender, with decorated trees glimpsed in lighted windows. (Picture book. 3-7)