ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

This quaint, heartfelt story follows the fate of a stunted little fir tree, the runt of the Christmas tree farm, upon being taken to the city for the holiday season. By Christmas Eve, the scrawny tree ttle more than a branch the only one unsold. When a boy asks the shop clerk if he might have the unwanted tree, he is thrilled when the answer is yes. Readers watch as the boy carefully carries his prize through crowds of holiday shoppers, until he sets it down, at last, by the bridge under which he sleeps. The joy the tree brings spreads to passersby, and a street musician joins the boy, striking up a carol on his accordion. Sutton's saturated watercolors create rich, folk-art-style scenes that reflect the classic spirit of the story. Its gentle, uplifting message is well suited for holiday sharing, while the beautiful illustrations invite lingering looks. Readers will be happy to see that the little tree's story doesn't end with the Christmas season, but extends into a fulfilling future.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A homeless boy and a scraggly fir tree rescue each other in this somber tale about the potential in all living things, including those that society casts aside. As the shopping bustle winds down on Christmas Eve, a boy wanders into a department store, attracted by the warmth and decorations. He spies a clerk throwing away a dejected fir tree and asks if he can have it. The late Huddy makes readers privy to the tree-s thoughts, and although it isn-t initially thrilled to be planted in a cardboard box under a bridge, the boy-s makeshift Christmas display attracts a gathering of carolers and musicians. Huddy-s story faces unpleasant realities and injustices head on, and Sutton-s (Tiny Creatures) finely detailed watercolors do the same, but while the tree thrives after being replanted in a city park, the boy-s fate is unknown-he simply wanders off-making for an inconclusive and unsettling ending. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

PreS-Gr 2 This British import relies on beautiful illustrations to energize a slight tale. A stunted pine is harvested and rejected by everyone until a homeless boy takes it, plants it in a box, and decorates it with candles, creating a joyful Christmas moment in the busy wintry city. The tree, whose thoughts provide the focus of the book, is happy because the boy has forgotten that he will be sleeping in a box and eating from a soup kitchen. "The magic of Christmas Eve was everywhere." But a few days later the boy walks away, leaving the tree for dead&30;until a kind street sweeper, seeing a green shoot, plants it in a park where, against all odds, it grows and has a happy life. Sutton's folkloric illustrations have great charm and are full of interesting details, although they don't support the notion that this clearly chopped off tree has the roots to enable it to grow once planted. VERDICT This frankly sentimental holiday title requires a suspension of disbelief to buy into the Christmas magic. Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library