Cardinals Red and Lulu love their evergreen-tree home in the country. When the tree is cut down (with Lulu still in it), Red follows the delivery truck to New York City. He finds his home--transformed into that year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree--and is joyously reunited with Lulu. Realistic watercolor and gouache paintings make the most of dramatic birds'-eye perspectives.

A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background. A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

Red and Lulu, a pair of cardinals, make their home in -the branches of a mighty evergreen- outside a suburban house: -It was the perfect place to live, all year long.- But one day, Red returns to find that the tree has been cut down and placed on a truck, with Lulu trapped inside. In lush watercolor and gouache paintings, Tavares (Lighter than Air) captures Red-s frantic search for Lulu, following the truck to New York City; dramatic wordless spreads show the tiny bird flitting past the George Washington Bridge and Rockefeller Center. Finally, Red spots his tree in its place of honor at Rockefeller Center, -more sparkly than ever, but definitely theirs.- The birds- reunion is poignant and well earned, and their decision to stay in the city after the holidays poignantly shows how seeming misfortune can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities. Ages 3-7. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2Surrounded by lights and singing, Christmas is by far the favorite season for Red and Lulu, a pair of cardinals living year-round in a big beautiful evergreen tree. Tragedy strikes late one autumn when the tree is cut down and hauled away with Lulu in it. Red chases the truck as far as he can, ending up lost and alone in New York City. When snow starts to fall, he seeks shelter by following the sound of a familiar song, "O Christmas Tree." He finds Lulu and his tree illuminated in Rockefeller Center, surrounded by a sea of happy people. A brief history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition, which started in 1931, is explained in an afterword. Tavares's detailed watercolor-and-gouache illustrations expertly capture the seasonal atmosphere, including the tension one feels as Red and Lulu are separated from each other. The happy reunion and resolution (including the fact that the tree is recycled and used to build homes for families in need and that the avian couple moves to Central Park) should reassure even the most sensitive of readers. VERDICT A lovely New York story for most holiday collections.Madeline J Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library