The Littlest Christmas Tree

4.1 (2)

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Author(s)

Jane Chapman

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 03, 2024

ISBN

1664300473

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A beautifully illustrated tale about celebrating the joy of Christmas, and the little things in life, by best-selling author/illustrator Jane Chapman.

Cubby the bear cub is out with Daddy one day to find the perfect Christmas tree. They find one and dig it up, and when they get home, they give it the perfect spot in the living room and decorate it. Cubby is thrilled to have Little Tree in their house and treats the tree like a member of the family. But when Christmas is over, it's time to take down the decorations--including Little Tree. Cubby doesn't want to lose a friend--but Daddy has a clever idea of how to be sure that they have Little Tree with them every Christmas.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

sweet picture book about the joy of Christmas and the wait between years

September 23, 2024

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

THE LITTLEST CHRISTMAS TREE is a cute picture book celebrating the joy of the holiday and the wait for the next year. Cubby and his father select their Christmas tree along with the rabbits and the badgers. They decorate their tree and have a wonderful Christmas. After it is over, Cubby is sad to say goodbye to the tree. However, luckily, his father has a plan, and they plant the tree in their yard to await the next year's Christmas, tending to it through the year.

What I loved: This was a sweet read that celebrates the happiness of Christmas while also understanding the feelings after the holiday with the wait until the next year. These feelings will resonate with young readers. The relationship between father and child is really lovely - I appreciate when stories show a father as the primary caregiver. Caregivers will also notice how much work he is doing and even though he gets a little worn out, he has a lot of care and patience for his child.

The illustrations are lovely, capturing the animals and the season so beautifully. The font is clear and easy to read throughout. Based on the plot, this story would work best for toddlers and preschoolers, as the character of Cubby may feel a bit too young for older picture book readers.

Final verdict: THE LITTLEST CHRISTMAS TREE is a sweet picture book that captures the joy of Christmas and the wait between one year and the next.

Olivia Farr, Assistant Blog Manager & Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 1956 reviews

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Parting is such sweet sorrow...

September 02, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Cubby and his Daddy go out into the woods with their friends, the badger and rabbit families, to cut down a tree for Christmas. Daddy helps haul everyone and all of the trees home on a sled, and the families get to work in their separate lairs to decorate the trees. The long suffering father bear puts up with Cubby's overly enthusiastic ways, untangling lights and saving cocoa from spilling as his exuberant son decorates the tree. Presents are wrapped, and Christmas festivities with their friends take place around the small but celebratory tree. After the holiday is over, Cubby is distraught to think that the Christmas tree has to be cleaned up as well, because he thinks putting the tree back outside will be the end of happiness. All three families plant their trees outside, even putting signs by them so they know who has which tree. The year passes quickly, and soon Cubby and Daddy have the little tree in their house again to celebrate Christmas.

Good Points

Change is hard for children, and we forget that as adults. Christmas is a time of high emotions, and when Cubby equates his good times with the tree, he doesn't want to see it go away. My favorite part of this was the patience that Daddy had with his son; young readers probably won't pick up on this, but older readers certainly will see Daddy's exasperation!

Chapman does an excellent winter landscape, and the tree is adorable. There's something pleasantly classic about the illustrations that reminds me of the books that my own children read in the 1990s, which makes sense, since Chapman has been writing for almost thirty years! Nothing wrong with remaining true to one's style, which is reminiscent of Anita Jeram and Patrick Benson's drawings.

Since it's a lot easier to keep books than live pine trees, I'd put this book into an advent rotations with VanSickle's How To Decorate a Christmas Tree, Collins' We Disagree About This Tree, and Toht's Pick a Pine Tree to prepare little ones for the changes of the season. Wise parents, along with Daddy bear, might want to look into getting a copy of Aliki's 1991 Christmas Tree Memories to read with youngsters and get them to attach sentimental value to the ornaments rather than the tree, since digging up and replanting a tree EVERY year will quickly become unfeasible!