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30th out of 391 books
—
556 voters
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree
Came by special delivery.
Full and fresh and glistening green--
The biggest tree he'd ever seen.
That was the trouble. The tree was so tall, it couldn't stand up straight in his parlor. Mr. Willowby asked his butler to chop off the top of the tree. What happens to the treetop? Where will it be for Christmas? Snuggle up with this story and follow...more
Came by special delivery.
Full and fresh and glistening green--
The biggest tree he'd ever seen.
That was the trouble. The tree was so tall, it couldn't stand up straight in his parlor. Mr. Willowby asked his butler to chop off the top of the tree. What happens to the treetop? Where will it be for Christmas? Snuggle up with this story and follow...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 17th 2000
by Doubleday Books for Young Readers
(first published 1963)
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Dec 23, 2008
booklady
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
kids of all ages
Recommended to booklady by:
Sandy
A delightful holiday story first introduced to me by my dear hubby's mom shortly after we got married. Mom-in-Law sent Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree as a Christmas gift for our first or second Christmas as a married couple and it's been a tradition ever since. As best I can discover it was published it 1963. In any event it was a story my husband heard growing up and now my children have been charmed by it as well; we read it every Christmas!
Mr Willowby has no use for the top of his Christmas tr...more
Mr Willowby has no use for the top of his Christmas tr...more
No matter how old I get, this is my favourite story at this time of year. Just a simple little idea of what one person can pass on to make someone else's day brighter, but oh so lovely. The illustrations are perfect as can be.
I'm certainly not the only one in my family to remember this tale. Growing up, my grandparents had a beautiful flocked tree. It was so, so tall, covered in velvet snow and little red satin birds. Of course, artificial trees have a lifespan and by the time I was in my last y...more
I'm certainly not the only one in my family to remember this tale. Growing up, my grandparents had a beautiful flocked tree. It was so, so tall, covered in velvet snow and little red satin birds. Of course, artificial trees have a lifespan and by the time I was in my last y...more
This is a cute Christmas story about the beauty of trickle-down economics. My four-year-old wanted it read several times.
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We just read Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black and thought it was a very nice, entertaining story. We noticed that both Kathryn and Angela compared that book to this one. I knew that we'd also just borrowed this book, too, so I was very excited to read it next.
The story did not disappoint. As in their reviews, we saw how similar the two stories were. The rhyming narrative and the colorful, cartoonish illustrations work together nicely to create a lovely, fun story to read aloud. The chara...more
The story did not disappoint. As in their reviews, we saw how similar the two stories were. The rhyming narrative and the colorful, cartoonish illustrations work together nicely to create a lovely, fun story to read aloud. The chara...more
Even though this book is older than I am, I had never read it before this week. In an effort to find a new book for 1st grade read-aloud, I pulled it off the shelf and started reading. What a pleasant surprise! It's really a cute little story in rhyme that demonstrates the old adage, "One man's trash is another's treasure."
The story begins with a lumberjack cutting down a beautiful, full, green tree and delivering it to Mr. Willowby's mansion. The tree is just a tad too tall, so the butler chop...more
The story begins with a lumberjack cutting down a beautiful, full, green tree and delivering it to Mr. Willowby's mansion. The tree is just a tad too tall, so the butler chop...more
4.5 STARS. It's easy to see why this little treasure remains to be a Christmas treat since its debut in the 1960s. The illustrations are gosh darn cute and have that vintage '60s feel without seeming too old-fashioned or the least bit passe. (I love that I am not the only one who thinks Mr. Willowby looks like the Monopoloy man!) It's the sort of cumulative tale kids love--when Mr. Willowby's gianormous Christmas tree is just a bit too tall for his mansion, he has the top chopped off and gives i...more
When Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree arrives at his mansion, and is just a tiny bit too tall, there is only one solution: to cut off the top! But, Mr. Willowby realizes that the cut-off-top would make the perfect Christmas tree for his maid. The grateful maid soon realizes that the tree is a tad too big for her room, so she chops off the top and tosses it. But, the top is discovered... and so on.
A great little rhyming story with charming illustrations that are whimsical and warm. I had a few qualm...more
A great little rhyming story with charming illustrations that are whimsical and warm. I had a few qualm...more
This was a standard in my home growing up. It's hard to find a new mesmerizing Christmas tale these days - it seems like we've heard it all. But this classic is just as good today as it was...well...several years ago. *smile*
What happens when th rich man in town buys a christmas tree that's too tall? They cut off the top - and it's shared with the upstairs maid, Mrs. Adelaide, of course. And then, if THAT tree is too tall for her small, spare room, what's to be done?
Well, you'll have to read fo...more
What happens when th rich man in town buys a christmas tree that's too tall? They cut off the top - and it's shared with the upstairs maid, Mrs. Adelaide, of course. And then, if THAT tree is too tall for her small, spare room, what's to be done?
Well, you'll have to read fo...more
Mr. Willowby got a special Christmas tree, but there was a problem. The tree was too tall for the house! The butler decides to then chop off part of the tree and give the top to the maid. She loves the tree, but it's too tall for where she wants to put it, too, so she cuts the top off. This story continues on like this with animals finding the discarded tops and sharing them with their loved ones. I liked the idea of this story, but it got a bit long and drawn out for me. There are only so many...more
This is still my favorite book from when I was a child. In fact, I still have my original hardcover copy pictured here, over 30 years later! Last year I read it to my 5 year old daughter. It is a story about a wealthy man who brings a very tall Christmas tree into his mansion, but it is just too tall. He has no choice but to chop off the top. He decides to give that piece to his maid, who uses is as her own tree. However, she has the same problem. The story continues on from there, as you would...more
I loved this circular story which ended up at the point of its beginning! The drawings are charming, too.
Mr. Willowby orders a Christmas tree, but has to chop a little off the top to make it fit. Someone else finds the discarded top, but . . . it's just a little too big, so that person snips off a little from the top, which is found by someone else . . . and so on, down to the tiniest mouse family living in a hole in Mr. Willowby's wall. Cheerful and fun holiday story.
The kids at preschool story...more
Mr. Willowby orders a Christmas tree, but has to chop a little off the top to make it fit. Someone else finds the discarded top, but . . . it's just a little too big, so that person snips off a little from the top, which is found by someone else . . . and so on, down to the tiniest mouse family living in a hole in Mr. Willowby's wall. Cheerful and fun holiday story.
The kids at preschool story...more
The formula of the gift that keeps on giving is a common one in Christmas books - my favorite of this type is Yuriko Kimura's Christmas Present from a friend (the data is all kinds of screwed up on that link, and pretty much everywhere online) - and this was fine if you like that kind of story, but not much more. A rich man gets a Xmas tree too big even for his enormous ceiling and cuts off the top (wtf? who cuts the top off?) and then that is thrown away where it is found by someone who wants i...more
This would be a cute story if it was misleading about it being a Christmas story. It's a recycling story. It has nothing to do with Christmas or the Christmas spirit except there's a Christmas tree involved. Each person or animal, starting with Mr. Willowby, hacks off the top of the tree and throws it out. Someone smaller then comes along and uses it for his/her tree and on and on. The end. Fun times to be had by all. I don't get the appeal especially for Christmas.
Such an adorable story about a Christmas tree that Mr. Willowby gets for his home, only to find out it is too tall. He cuts off the top, and from there the real story begins, as each person or animal takes the top of the tree for someone, and finds it too tall, and cuts off the top again. The tiny tip ends up with a family of mice that live in the livingroom where the original tree stands, and they are so happy to have a tree just like Mr. Willowby :).
I read this at least 50 times to my son over the past few months and I've never tired of it. The rhythm of the story so fun to read aloud, the illustrations are fabulous, and it is dear to my heart because I remember my mother reading this to me when I was little. I've tried to turn my son on to many books that I regard as classic, but several have turned out not to be as timeless as I expected. This was certainly an exception.
Mar 30, 2010
Hilary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
read-alouds
Everyone in Mr. Willowby's neighborhood, from the butler to the bunnies, enjoys his Christmas tree -- quite literally. Mr. W bought a too-tall tree; he snips off the top to help it fit the room. The butler snips the top off Mr. W's castoff so it fits in the servants' quarters, and so on and so on, until a tiny snippet fits in the last families' home.
Although it has been reissued in color, I prefer the original illustrations.
Although it has been reissued in color, I prefer the original illustrations.
This is the story of a very tall Christmas tree that has to be trimmed to fit into Mr. Willowby's living room. When the top of the tree is lopped off and thrown in the trash a series of people and animals retrieves the remainder to put in their homes until there is nothing left but a teeny tiny tree for the little mice! It was origanlly in black and white and then republished later in color. Kids love it!
I picked up this book because the illustration on the front reminded me of Mr. Magoo. And who can resist Mr. Magoo? Not me. A story for younger children...children know what to expect as the story unfolds, so they can have fun being involved. Barry also uses rhyme, which makes it all the more fun. Seems like a good book to learn to read with. But it's the illustrations that I love.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Dec 27, 2012
Sandy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
circle-story,
creativity-imagination,
friendship,
holiday-story,
humor,
multi-age,
pb-fiction,
rhyming-text,
sharing
There must be dozens of stories with the theme- One man's trash is another's treasure. This story, though, goes far beyond that, offering explorations of setting, sequence, problem solving, and humor. It's a perfect example of a book that ranks as the number one favorite of young readers, even if adults rank it as slightly below the top tier holiday titles.
Appealing illustrations and a clever rhymes about a Christmas tree that keeps giving as the top keeps getting trimmed off and passed along.
This was probably my favorite book as a child. I was so excited when my mom gave me a copy for Christmas a few years ago. Now I can't wait to read it to my little boy when he gets a littler older.
This was probably my favorite book as a child. I was so excited when my mom gave me a copy for Christmas a few years ago. Now I can't wait to read it to my little boy when he gets a littler older.
This is a very sweet Christmas story. Mr. Willowby tops his too tall Christmas tree in order to fit it in the parlor, Then the tree's discarded top becomes the gift that keeps on giving and provides increasingly smaller Christmas trees to the maid, the gardner, a bear, a fox, a rabbit, and finally a mouse in Mr. Willowby's house.
One Christmas, for Dwight's family party we exchanged our favorite books. We received Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree from Dwight's mother. This is now one of my favorite Christmas books, and my children will not let a Christmas pass without reading this book. If you have young children this is a must read!
This is one of my absolute favorite Christmas stories. In the story, everyone discards the top of the tree until everyone has a piece of it to share from Mr. Willowby down to the smallest mouse in his house. The illustrations are not dynamic, but they are lovable and the animal characters are all very cute.
Feb 01, 2012
Little Miss and the Legomeister
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
christmas,
picture-books
Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree is too tall. He cuts off the top and gives it to Miss Adelaide, the upstairs maid. But it's too tall for her so she trims the top and throws it away. But the gardener sees it and takes it home. And on and on.
It's cute and sweet, and a nice Christmas story.
It's cute and sweet, and a nice Christmas story.
Mr. Willowby gets an enormous Christmas tree but finds that it bends over just near the top. He cuts off the top and hands it off to the maid who ends up having the same problem! The Christmas tree is passed on and on until it ends up right back where it started but in a surprising way!
Sep 28, 2011
Shelby Troutman
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
1st-grade-level,
animals,
emotions,
family,
friendship,
ius-lib,
picture-book,
neigbors,
preschool-level,
problem-solving,
repetitive,
share,
holiday,
christmas
This is great to show that one person's trash is another person's treasure. As the tree is placed into one house, the top is cut off and thrown out the door for another family to use as their tree. Just because it isn't important to you doesn't mean it isn't important to someone else.
Our childrens' librarian used to tell this story at the Christmas library story hour. She used a felt Christmas tree as she told the story and the kids were captivated. I liked the story so much I special-ordered the book and paid a pretty good price for it. It's well worth it.
So many people recommended this to me as their favorite Christmas book, and I can't believe I hadn't read it. It's an adorable cumulative (or shrinking?) story in which everyone wins. I'm glad Kate pointed out its potential as a cut-and-tell, which I wouldn't have considered.
This is one of my favorite Christmas books. Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree is a bit oversize and resizing the tree provides a remnant that will be recycled again and again. Told in rhyme, this is just a sweet story that I read nearly every year to kindergarten students.
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