The Cinderella of fir trees meets her fairy godmother in this Christmas tale. In the forest, the big fir trees are all excited about Christmas, planning what each of them will wear to the big party. One will wear a dress of thousands of twinkling stars, while another will fashion one from a rainbow. In the shadows, the littlest fir tree listens intently and dreams about her own dress, but the others are too busy with their plans to even talk to her. As Christmas gets closer, a noisy truck arrives and the little fir is left standing alone, with no way to get to the party. But there is one other tree that got left behind, a scraggly one, bare but very kind. The old tree is a willing listener for the little one, and asks her about her dream—to wear a long dress of pure white like the moon. On Christmas morning, Mother Nature clothes her youngest tree in newly fallen snow and her older tree in the bright colors of the forest birds. Finally dressed for the party, the two share their own special celebration. Ichikawa’s (The First Bear in Africa, p. 498, etc.) trees’ dresses are awash in light, glowing with the gold of the sunset and illuminated by the stars of the night. The country-red borders framing the soft greens and blues of the watercolor illustrations will remind readers that this is a Christmas story, even as the author emphasizes the beauty found in nature and within each living thing. Unfortunately, while the reader will appreciate the work of Mother Nature, the stronger message seems to be that it is a tree’s dream to be cut down and decorated for Christmas. Better pair this one with Eve Bunting’s Night Tree (1991). (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23746-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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