The Golden Christmas Tree

by Jan Wahl, Leonard Weisgard (Illustrator)

From the Golden Books archives comes a classic Christmas tale by a master storyteller and one of the great Golden Books illustrators.

A forest is hushed for the animals' Christmas. The elephant brings a fir tree from far away, and the animals gather silently. . . . The kangaroos decorate the tree with pinecones, and the giraffe places a star at the top.

“Now, as it happened before, the lion lay down with the lamb. . . .”

This beautifully told story by noted author Jan Wahl is brought to life with richly textured paintings by Caldecott Medalist Leonard Weisgard, celebrating the majesty and wonder of Christmas. It was originally published in 1988.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Kids

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Jan Wahl was an American author best known for his imaginative and influential children’s books, which combined wit, warmth and a deep respect for young readers. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Wahl showed artistic promise early, performing piano on children’s radio programs and appearing on stage alongside legendary magician Harry Blackstone Sr. He studied at Cornell University, where he took classes with Vladimir Nabokov, and continued his education in Europe as a Fulbright scholar before completing graduate studies in the United States.
Wahl began publishing children’s books in the mid-1960s and quickly became a prolific and celebrated voice in the field, ultimately writing more than 120 works. Titles such as Pleasant Fieldmouse, The Furious Flycycle and Humphrey’s Bear earned him a devoted readership and critical acclaim. His stories were frequently illustrated by major artists, including Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak and Mercer Mayer, and were praised for their playful tone, emotional intelligence and sense of empowerment.
Beyond writing, Wahl led an unusually rich cultural life, working with filmmakers, writers and artists, lecturing widely on film history and literature, and maintaining close ties to both the literary and cinematic worlds.

Reviews

[Teri]

Beautifully illustrated by Leonard Weisgard.

[Sarah]

Own

[Constant Raving]

I loved reding this to the boys, the younger liked the illustrations a lot.

[Kelly Chester]

What an adorable book

[Jennifer Langan]

Beautiful Christmas book! A+

[Abirami Rajendran]

5 stars for the illustration :)

[Melki]

Animals from many different habitats gather to decorate a tree, then they sit back and admire their work. No one gets eaten because it's Christmas. Pretty, but pointless.

[Shannon Kitchen]

I really liked the illustrations, they reminded me of some of my favorite books as a child. It's just a sweet, comforting Christmas story.

[Margaret Chind]

Read through READS overdrive and my Kindle. Loved it.

[Mckinley]

All the animals decorate a tree.

[cali]

I loved reding this to the boys, the younger liked the illustrations a lot.

[Cathy Hodge]

From the classic favorites: Golden books, comes the story of the animals of the wild putting together a Christmas tree and decorating it. The drawings brought this book up to two stars. Enjoy.