(2) K-3 Dressed up by his friend the robin in flowers, berries, and ribbons, a restless fir tree nonetheless longs to see new places. When the axe-men come, the fir is happy to go with them to be the town's Christmas tree, even though afterward he's burned for firewood. Inspired by the morose events of Hans Christian ­Andersen's "The Fir Tree," Jameson's retelling benefits from his striking grayscale pencil drawings, digitally colored and enhanced with textural elements such as Celtic knots and ­Victorian scrollwork leaves. The resulting transcendent folk-art visuals of nature in the Russian-inflected setting will invite repeat examination.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021