How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

by Vikki VanSickle, Miki Sato (Illustrator)

Overview

A little girl shares the steps for the perfect tree trimming — a holiday picture book for fans of Pick a Pine Tree and The Little Christmas Tree.

In this charming Christmas tale, readers will follow along with the main character as she shares all the things that go into decorating a tree:

Lights
Ornaments
Popcorn
Hot chocolate
Taffy the cat
Memories
And, most importantly, family!

With stunning three-dimensional art by Miki Sato and a delightful story by wordsmith Vikki VanSickle, including a twist ending, this book will quickly become a Christmas tree decorating tradition of its own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735268593
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	24 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

VIKKI VANSICKLE is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for children including Words That Start With B; Summer Days, Starry Nights; the award-winning The Winnowing; and picture books If I Had a Gryphon; Teddy Bear of the Year; and Anonymouse. Vikki started her career as an independent bookseller and worked in children's publishing for twelve years. In addition to writing, she curates and presents regular book segments for CTV Your Morning. Currently, she lives and writes in Toronto.

MIKI SATO is a Japanese-Canadian illustrator who uses a variety of different papers and fabrics to create layered, three-dimensional illustrations. Born and raised in Ottawa, she currently resides in Toronto, where she attended the Ontario College of Art and Design to study illustration. More examples of her work can be found at: www.mikisatoillustration.com

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

A youthful narrator supplies instructions on Christmas tree–trimming, offering anecdotal descriptions of the stories behind the ornaments. A classic ball ornament inscribed with the protagonist’s name gets hung first, but the pale-skinned speaker reassures that “anything can be an ornament,” before presenting objects that include a pinecone from a memorable camping trip and a maneki-neko from an aunt in Japan. Throughout, the child’s simple speech has a friendly intimacy that engages (presenting handmade decorations, the speaker prompts, “Bet you can’t guess what they’re made of!”). Final baubles bring further emotion to the enterprise as a parol that Lola Reyna brought from the Philippines becomes a source of remembrance, and another name-inscribed bulb sweetly reveals the subject of the speaker’s address. Cut paper, textiles, and string lend the creative team’s project a homespun three-dimensionality that pairs gently with the cozy domesticity of this affectionate family story. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"This warm tale will brighten spirits with its depiction of a close-knit family happily engaged in a meaningful routine." —Kirkus Reviews

"A child’s breathless excitement during the Christmas season resonates in the short, animated sentences." —School Library Journal

"A warm celebration of family history and holiday tradition.” —The Horn Book

"Whether she makes the ornaments that appear tactile though in only two dimensions or gives us a popcorn strand so real that we can smell its popping in the air, Miki Sato brings us into that living room to open boxes, delicately handle fragile memories, and to enjoy the comfort of family." —CanLit for LittleCanadians

“From the textured fabric of the girl’s sweatshirt to the popcorn garlands hanging on the tree, each page contains enough detail to not only keep a child of any age engaged (adults included), but the images are so life-like it feels like you are right there in the living room with them, decorating their tree and thinking about loved ones and the legacy they’ve left behind, symbolized by an ornament that gets displayed only once a year.” —Anne Logan

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

K-Gr 1—"Wait until a snowy night," begins the eager, bubbly narrative of the young heroine as she and her family await the arrival of the Christmas tree. Her dad and Uncle Rob are shown carrying the tree into their home, and then the preparations begin. Ornaments are lovingly unwrapped, each one's story told, and the lights and popcorn strings added. The final ornaments to be placed on the tree are inscribed with the names of the heroine and her baby brother. The colorful three-dimensional ornaments, which are woven from embroidery thread, paper, and textiles along with the rest of the art, capture the author's enthusiasm. Realistic elements are carried through Sato's illustrations to include subtle details: the laces on the boots; a fur ruff around the hood; plump, vertical tree boughs; and the warm texture of the carpets. A child's breathless excitement during the Christmas season resonates in the short, animated sentences. Each page provides an opportunity for audience participation. VERDICT Add to collections of stories about preparing for Christmas, alongside Karma Wilson's Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Anne Mortimer's Christmas Mouse, and Tomie dePaola's The Legend of the Poinsettia.—Monica Fleche

School Library Journal

2023-10-05
What brightens a room at Christmas like a sparkling tree?

A family gathers to decorate their tree; the cat involves itself, too. The young narrator, Della Rose Santiago, proudly displays several ornaments, providing their backstories and reminding readers that Christmas centers on family memories, lore, history, and traditions. Della Rose shows off “my first-ever ornament,” a flowery yellow one given when the child was born. Another ornament, shaped like a pair of skates, was Mom’s when she was a child; a stained-glass angel adorned Daddy and Mom’s first tree together. This sweet tale is also potentially a helpful guidebook to tree decoration, as it offers some useful ideas for readers: Della Rose presents a pine cone—a souvenir from the family’s first camping trip—and points out, “Anything can be an ornament.” A brand-new ornament this year was purchased in honor of and bears the name of Della Rose’s infant sibling: a family tradition literally newly born. This warm tale will brighten spirits with its depiction of a close-knit family happily engaged in a meaningful routine. The colorful, cozy illustrations, created with papers, textiles, embroidery thread, and craft supplies, aptly suit the theme and have a lovely, tactile feeling—who doesn’t love touching glittery Christmas trinkets? Della Rose is tan-skinned, while Mom is light-skinned, and Daddy presents Asian; ornaments from relatives from Japan and the Philippines are referenced, too.

A cheery Christmas charmer focused on family traditions. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews