I am sure that I have mentioned before that I love Tomie dePaola! Even the books that are not as strong as some of my favorites are always delightful to read. dePaola always knows how to write a story on the level for anyone to enjoy and keeps one’s interests. While the publisher says it is for ages 4 to 8 I can see an older child enjoying it as well and of course adults will get a kick out it.
This time, we learn the story about how Christmas trees and other traditions came to be. We learn how they were invented and how they were adapted over the years in Tomie dePaola’s Christmas Tree Book. It is a non-fiction/fiction picture book and therefore, there is little traditional action and more show and tell. But it is still classic dePaola story and of course, classic illustrations. They grace the pages as we have come to know and love. Colors everyplace and all the needed details grab your eye!
It is a simple story being more secular as less religious than some of his other books. This edition is also a revamping of The Family Christmas Tree Book from around 1980. The illustrations move the text along. And such amusing and interesting facts such as why Teddy Roosevelt’s son hide a Christmas tree in his closest is explained. And all the while, dePaola makes these facts fun and even humorous at times. You might not use this book for a bedtime treat, but you can use it to answer the embarrassing question a child might ask: “Where do Christmas trees come from?”