The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Ray, Mary Lyn

Christmas Farm

40 pp. | Harcourt | October, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-0-15-216290-0 $17.00

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Root. Wilma and her young neighbor plant "small starts of balsam." The two care for their crop until it's finally ready, five years later, to be sold as Christmas trees. Ray's quiet, leisurely narrative reflects the work and planning involved in farming trees. Root's watercolor and gouache paintings honor the characters' warm intergenerational friendship. An author's note offers history about Christmas trees.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008