The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown illustrated by Barbara Cooney

 

The seed grows into a little fir tree. After seven summers a man comes early in Winter and carefully digs up the tiny tree. The tree becomes the focus of their Christmas and brings joy to his young son who is not able to walk or leave his bed. 

This pattern continues for several years until one Winter the man does not come. The little fir tree thinks he has been forgotten and then in a beautiful turn of events a group of caroling children arrive and leading the way is the young boy who is now able to walk into the forest to see his special tree. Interspersed throughout the book there are Christmas carols and other traditional Christmas songs.

The songs are: O Christmas Tree; O come little milk cows; Here we come a wassailing.

Margaret Wise Brown (1910 - 1952) wrote over 100 books including the famous Goodnight Moon and my personal favourite - An Important Book. I previously talked about The Dead Bird and A Home in the Barn. 

This is another very old Christmas book. I talked about Christmas Eve at the Mellops' yesterday.  The Little Fir Tree was first published in 1954 but my copy is a 1982 reprint. This book does have an old-fashioned feel but the story is a gentle classic. Here is the edition from 2009.

Reading A Little Fir Tree reminded me of a story from my childhood that has lingered with me decades after I read it in the 1960s. It told a similar story about young disabled (they used the word crippled) child who cannot leave their bed. This story was in the 'reader' Travelling On. The title is 'The Little Cuckoo Clock' and the credits at the front of this book list is as a story by Gilmore Wood. In this story a clock maker brings the child a beautifully carved cuckoo clock as a special Christmas gift. The miracle of the healing an unwell child is also the theme of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Heidi by Johanna Spryi.

The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Victoria Sandøy

I travelled far across the sea, and now I am a Christmas tree.

Notes from this book: "The Christmas Pine is based on a true story. It celebrates a special tradition that stretches back over seventy years. Every year since 1947, the Mayor of Oslo in Norway presents the British people with a spectacular Christmas tree. The pine tree is a symbol of peace and friendship: a thank you for the UK's support during World War II. "

"Each year, the UK Poetry Society asks a poet to write a poem to welcome the tree." Julia Donaldson wrote this poem in 2020. It is a beautiful poem as you would expect but this book is made extra special by the scrumptious illustrations by the Norwegian illustrator Victoria Sandøy. If you are looking to add a new Christmas book to your collection I do recommend The Christmas Pine. 

You can see some children from a London Primary school performing the poem. 

Previous poets include Clare Pollard, Joseph Coelho, A.F. Harrold, Julia Copus, Ian McMillan, Liz Lochhead and Kevin Crossley-Holland.

You can see children performing the 2021 poem written by Sinead Morrissey. 

They found me high

above the breathing canopy,

tightjacketed prodigy—

interstellar silence

laced through my hair

and frost like a tapestry

nailed to my door.

Such absolute dark

above my tippy-top

spangled crown,

ballooning sky-shot

Arctic greens draped

winter’s finest shawl

about my shoulders.

Unstable starship

of the planet,

your lungs are my fingers—

their feather-thin million

branching endings:

tiny-bright tiny-light

redeemers of air.

Spectacular child

in the barn, who fell

like a comet or windfall,

I also attend—

I also stand, in all

my pine-needle finery,

and shine.

And in this video the children read the poem by Joseph Coelho and then they talk about the tradition of sending the tree from Norway. 

Here is the French edition of this book:

The Beautiful Christmas Tree by Charlotte Zolotow illustrated by Yan Nascimbene

Continuing my theme of Christmas trees from yesterday (it's day two of my twelve days of Christmas) I have just discovered this truly special book. Sadly it is out of print as it was first published in 1972 but I imagine the story by Charlotte Zolotow might be found in a Christmas anthology. My copy was illustrated by Yan Nascimbene and published in 1999.

"There once was a city street with a row of trees in front of the brownstone houses. It was a lovely street. Birds sang in the trees, people swept the stoops and sat there on hot summer nights enjoying the stars. All the houses were lived in except one. It had been empty for a long time."

Sharing this book with an Australian audience I would need to show in image of a brownstone and explain the word stoop.

The empty house is eventually bought by Mr Crockett. It is now many years later and the new elegant neighbours no longer sit on their stoops. They scoff when they see Mr Crockett cleaning his own windows. At the end of the street there is a flower shop. At the back of the shop Mr Crockett sees a "wooden pot with a wizened little tree in it. Its branches drooped and dry needles had fallen on the floor."

It is the night before Christmas. Mr Crockett buys the little malformed tree. He nurtures it inside his home sitting it beside a sunny window. When spring arrives Mr Crockett plants the little pine tree outside his home. The neighbours continue to disparage him but one boy, David, likes the way Mr Crockett is making changes to his house and the street.

A sparrow arrives to investigate the tree so the next day Mr Crockett sprinkles some crumbs near by. Mr Crockett carefully nurtures the tree through all the changes of season and over several years. More and more birds arrive - sparrows, red cardinals, grackles and even a large dove. Over time the tree grows tall and strong and Mr Crockett continues to keep his house looking beautiful even though other parts of the neighborhood are neglected. David makes friends with Mr Crockett and they enjoy sitting on the stoop and watching the birds together. David grows from a young boy into a young man and Mr Crockett grows older too.

Times goes full circle and as the story ends it is Christmas eve once more. A group of carol singers stop to sing outside the house.

"Their voices beginning so suddenly, startled the birds eating under the pine and with a fluttering of wings they flew up into the tree. At the very top the white dove lit, and the other birds with their colored feathers settled in the branches like living ornaments. The carolers' voices, low and sweet, made the birds themselves begin to sing."

I haven't seen the edition of this book illustrated by Ruth Robbins but if you can find it I'm sure it would be good to compare the way illustrators interpret a text.

I love the gentle messages in this story of patience, kindness and nurture. I also appreciate the way Mr Crockett is not influenced by or concerned about the negative comments by his neighbors. He simply gets on with growing his tree, caring for his home and making new friends.

The Tree that's meant to be by Yuval Zommer

I am the tree that's meant to be

Sadly this tree does not seem destined to be cut down and taken to a home as a Christmas tree. This is what the tree desires but surely staying in the forest is a much better option - a way to stay alive.  "... it was plain to see that I was never, ever going to be a perfect, grown-up tree. I branched a bit to the left and too much to the right, and didn't really focus on my height."

The little tree stands tall through the seasons and watches as other trees are selected at Christmas.

"Alone. I shivered, I shuddered. I i-i-i-is anyone there? I stuttered into the night."

The forest animals hear the tree crying. The gather beautiful decorations from the forest floor - leaves, acorns and feathers. The tree is transformed and then, in a magical moment, a star seems to land in the top of the tree and everything looks completely perfect.

This is a brand new book published in 2019. I would pair this book with The Silver Christmas Tree by Pat Hutchins which was published in 1974 - one of my all time favourite Christmas books. These two books have so much in common including the arrival of a star to top off the tree in the forest.

The Tree that's meant to be is the first book in my Christmas series - twelve books of Christmas. Watch my blog over the coming days for many more Christmas books - probably more than just twelve. Yuval Zommer has some other wonderful books which I recommend you find and explore. The cover design of The Tree that's meant to be is perfect. It is so tactile. The lettering and tree itself are embossed and there is just the right amount of glitter so the book can sparkle. Here is the illustration from the last page:

Why not continue reading about about special Christmas trees? This would be a beautiful theme to explore with a young child.

 The Crooked Little Christmas Tree

The Gift of Christmas

Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift by Dara Goldman

Today is the 1st December so it is time to start talking about Christmas Books. You may have read my post about Sarah's Two Nativities.  That new book from Australia blends two traditions - Christian and Muslim. 

Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift looks at the traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah. Boris is from Russia. He is getting ready to celebrate Hanukkah. Stella has fond memories of her childhood Christmas in Italy.  These two are wonderful friends. Boris plays beautiful music. Stella is a baker. They both like hats and scary movies. Stella empties her savings bank but there are not enough coins for a gift. Stella decides to sell the pine tree that she has grown from a seedling. "Stella didn't need a tree to remind her of her family during Christmas. They were always in her heart." She knows the lady in the flower shop will love to use it in her Christmas window. Now Stella has enough money to buy Boris the perfect gift.

"She hurried across town to a shop that sold dreidels. The shopkeeper had only one left. It was from Israel. ... It was the prefect gift!"

In a parallel story Boris checks his savings bank and he only has a few coins too. He decides to sell his dreidel collection.

"Boris got enough money to buy Stella a special gift. He didn't need the dreidels to remind him of his family during Hanukkah. They would always be in his heart."

Perhaps you have guessed how these two friends and their gifts will collide. Boris buys Stella a glass star for her Christmas Tree. That night at home Boris makes delicious potato latkes with a giant dollop of sour cream and Stella, over in her bakery, makes a panettone with hazelnuts and chocolate.

Finally it is Christmas eve. It is also the last night of Hanukkah. Boris arrives with the star for the tree but Stella has no tree. Stella gives Boris the Dreidel for his collection.

"Bozhe moi!"   Oh no! in Russian
"Mamma Mia" from Stella in Italian

But all is not lost. Boris knows he can now start a new dreidel collection and Stella spies a left over pinecone from her tree and so from the seeds she can grow a new Christmas tree.

I would pair this book for older children with a couple of versions of The Gift of the Magi by O Henry.

Even though Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift was published in 2013 it is still in print! I think it would be a good addition to your Christmas collection either in a family or in a library. Here is a trailer made by the author.  I don't usually talk about publishers but this one has a beautiful name - Sleeping Bear Press. On their web site you can read an extract from this book.

Inviting illustrations are filled with the details of the bears’ cozy apartment and their joint celebration of the eighth night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve, complete with potato latkes and Italian panettone cake. Kirkus

A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea

Day Four

"Pyn was a small, soft girl. She had a quiet, gentle voice, tiny smooth hands, and two bunches of hair bouncing off either side of her head."

Her father, Oother "was a big gruff man. He had a loud, booming voice, large, rough hands, and a bristly black beard."

Pyn might be described here as soft but she is also wise, patient and determined.  Christmas is coming. Pyn would like a Christmas tree. It seems they have never had one but her father, who insists on being called Oother, says no. We do get a small hint, though, that he does have a soft side. "He looked at his tiny daughter, whose eyes danced brightly in the firelight. How very much like her mother she is, he thought."

On Christmas morning they still don't have a tree so Pyn sets off alone to find one, just a small one.  Her father finds her buried in a snow drift. He lifts her onto his shoulders and they set off. Pyn identifies the perfect tree but  "Before he chopped down the fir tree, Oother and Pyn bowed their heads and gave thanks to the fir tree for allowing them to cut it down."

They take the tree home and Pyn sets to work with birds nests, honeycomb wasp nests, acorns, red berries and feathers. Decorating the tree is another step towards healing for Oother. His heart is melting. He has been suffering deep grief after the death of his beloved wife. When the tree is nearly finished he gives Pyn a very special ornament for the top and at last he is able to hear his true name - Papa.

There are echoes here of another splendid Christmas book (see my top 5 below) The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.

A Christmas Tree for Pyn is my best discovery this Christmas.  It is not new as it was published in 2011 but if you can find a used copy I would say buy this one for your home or school collection. I would love to find a copy because this is a Christmas book that would be in my top titles list. It is available from iTunes. You can see some of the illustrations here. In 2012 the review for Kirkus said "But today I want to shine the spotlight on a more under-the-radar book that I also think is one of this year’s best holiday titles - A Christmas Tree for Pyn."

Image source: http://www.picturebooktheology.com/2017/12/december-holiday-books-10-11.html

My top five Christmas books:

• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
• The Silver Christmas Tree
• What do you wish for?
• Truffle's Christmas
• The Empty Stocking

And if I am allowed one or two more I would add Wombat Divine (Australia) and The Christmas Caravan (New Zealand).

If you are looking for some more very special Christmas books take a look at this blog post from All About Learning.

This book speaks to the heart of the Christmas season, where families grow closer, memories are shared, and a tree becomes more than it could ever seem to be.  Waking Brain Cells