Festive reads from Walker Books - Part 2

Festive reads from 
Walker Books

Part 2

The Christmas Eve Tree

Written by Delia Huddy

Illustrated by Emily Sutton

It's Christmas Eve and I hope you are all ready for the big day tomorrow - with Christmas dinner all bought, presents wrapped. So hopefully you're relaxing, enjoying some chocolates or mince pies. I'm nearly there, but I know that I shall be reading this to Aoife later this evening - a book to be read today - The Christmas Eve Tree. A sweet story of a little Christmas tree that has a rough beginning and that no one wanted for Christmas until a homeless boys finds it.

The little fir tree felt better that he belonged to someone, even if that someone lived in a card board box. With a few donated coins, the little boy is able to decorate the tree with candles and soon the other homeless gather round and everyone started to sing. People gathered to see the sight and continued to sing. The little boy forgot that he would be sleeping in a box and would be eating soup in a soup kitchen if he was lucky. The spirit of Christmas was everywhere.

A few days after Christmas, the boy moved on and the little fir tree was picked up by a road sweeper who noticed that there was still green shoots and slyly planted the tree in the corner of a park garden, where you can find it now, strong and tall and cheerfully stout!

The Christmas Eve Tree is a book with a moving story and beautiful illustrations that remind us what Christmas is truly about. The story focuses on the Fir tree, the underdog, who nobody wants but comes out on top in the end. And though the issue of the homeless boy is not resolved, it reminds us about people who have nothing. It reminds us of community and caring - The true spirit of christmas!

Thank you to Walker Books for these lovely festive reads. The Christmas Eve Tree is available in all good book shops or online here.