Book Review of To Be a Christmas Tree
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The Children’s Book Review
To Be a Christmas Tree
Written by Leigh Marino
Illustrated by Tricia Kleinot
Ages: 4-6 | 48 Pages
Publisher: Devorss & Company (2024) | ISBN: 9780875169378
What to Expect: Christmas, grief, patience, identity, hope, friendship
Told from the perspective of the Christmas Tree itself, this sweet and inspiring holiday story is about grief and loss but also the power of love and hope to heal the wounds they leave.
The little Christmas Tree is very impatient to be chosen and taken to a family’s home. His mother keeps reminding him that his time will come, but the Christmas Tree loses hope when she is chopped down, and they are parted. He becomes sick, and the tree farmers decide that if he doesn’t get better, they will cut him down to keep his sickness from spreading to the other trees. The Christmas Tree thinks he is beyond caring when suddenly, into his branches, climbs a little mouse. The mouse is full of stories about homes and families, and with his friendship, the Christmas Tree begins to recover, growing new, strong branches. The mouse has brought hope, and it was all that was needed to help the Christmas Tree fulfill its destiny.
With his impatience and deep loneliness, the Tree is an empathetic main character whose emotions will resonate with young readers. The story is told through rhythmic rhyming quartets, perfect for reading aloud. The softly colored pencil illustrations have a vintage, traditional feel that complements the rhyming text perfectly, evoking the magic of Christmas.
To Be a Christmas Tree is a delightful, magical Christmas tale, perfect for starting discussions about the meaning of the Christmas spirit.
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About the Author
Leigh Marino has been an artist for as long as she can remember. At 14 she realized that in order to feel the good feelings in life, she needed to allow herself to feel the uncomfortable ones, so she turned to film & television to help her connect with those emotions in a safe way. One of her passions in life is to share those emotional experiences with others – through creative storytelling.
Leigh earned a BFA in Film/TV from NYU, completed the Cinematography program at The LA Film School, and studied cross-cultural dialogue at the International People’s College in Denmark. She has also published The Tiny Girl in the Egg, a story of a girl living in an egg who grows and wants to break free from her shell but fears the outside world.
Leigh lives in New Jersey with her family and is the owner/creator of Encourage Thought.
Learn more about her newest book here.
About the Illustrator
Tricia Kleinot mixes surreal with the everyday, creating fine art and commercial art for clients such as marvel, Spotify, AppleTV, and GAP.
She lives in the mountains of Washington state with her human and fur babies.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of To Be a Christmas Tree. Learn more about getting a book review …
