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The Tree That's Meant to Be
by
A heartfelt, gorgeous Christmas picture book that's destined to become a holiday classic - about a crooked little fir tree and a powerful message about love and embracing what makes you different.
A small fir is left all alone after the other trees near it in the forest are chosen by families as Christmas trees. But when the forest animals gather around the lonely little tr ...more
A small fir is left all alone after the other trees near it in the forest are chosen by families as Christmas trees. But when the forest animals gather around the lonely little tr ...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
September 24th 2019
by Doubleday Books for Young Readers
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of The Tree That's Meant to Be
Dec 23, 2019
Calista
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
genre-fantasy,
holiday,
nature,
2019,
sub-trees-forest,
art-lovely,
bage-children,
sub-snow,
genre-beginner,
sub-foxes
I have read several picture books this season with this story troupe in it. It’s a good one. The thing that steals the show here is the beautiful artwork. I love it and all the cute woodland creatures have personality. There is color and energy in the artwork.
A tree wants to be taken home for Christmas and isn’t; so, the animals dress it up pretty and honor it for the season.
The nephew read this book to me. He did so good. I’m so proud at how well he is reading. It’s wonderful to see someone le ...more
A tree wants to be taken home for Christmas and isn’t; so, the animals dress it up pretty and honor it for the season.
The nephew read this book to me. He did so good. I’m so proud at how well he is reading. It’s wonderful to see someone le ...more
A gorgeous book about a little tree in a big forest and the wonderful thing that happens during Christmas!
I am so happy I got this book from the library! It sounded like a perfect Christmas book, and it was! I read it on 2nd Christmas Day (yes, we got 2 days here in my country) and I just absolutely loved it.
Meet our little tree. He has big big dreams, but sadly he just doesn’t grow that much. Or well, he grows in weird directions it seems making him the odd one out in the forest. I was just tel ...more
I am so happy I got this book from the library! It sounded like a perfect Christmas book, and it was! I read it on 2nd Christmas Day (yes, we got 2 days here in my country) and I just absolutely loved it.
Meet our little tree. He has big big dreams, but sadly he just doesn’t grow that much. Or well, he grows in weird directions it seems making him the odd one out in the forest. I was just tel ...more
An imperfect tree seeks perfection.
I'm a sucker for woodland creatures celebrating Christmas.
...more
Absolutely stunning illustrations...but the text/story felt lacking and didn’t sing.
It started as a memorial. It was a single tree; a gift from two author friends to honor my sweet Xena after she passed. For each year since her death, I added a tree. On the hilltop, there are now five dwarf Alberta spruce.
The hill and surrounding land prior to the development was filled with trees. It's now a mission to replace that which was removed. This summer two redbud trees, a poplar, and twelve cedar trees, of varying varieties, were planted.
These trees will be nurtured but also allowed ...more
The hill and surrounding land prior to the development was filled with trees. It's now a mission to replace that which was removed. This summer two redbud trees, a poplar, and twelve cedar trees, of varying varieties, were planted.
These trees will be nurtured but also allowed ...more
Well I have found my favorite Christmas book for this year!
One small crooked fir tree is left alone in the forest after all the other trees are cut down, destined to become Christmas trees for families to gather around this season, but then the forest animals begin to decorate him as their own Christmas tree in an effort to cheer him up and bring some festive cheer to the forest showing children the importance of showing up for our friends and celebrating our differences.
We have been reading t ...more
One small crooked fir tree is left alone in the forest after all the other trees are cut down, destined to become Christmas trees for families to gather around this season, but then the forest animals begin to decorate him as their own Christmas tree in an effort to cheer him up and bring some festive cheer to the forest showing children the importance of showing up for our friends and celebrating our differences.
We have been reading t ...more
Very sweet, and such cozy illustrations.
As a lover of trees I found the book to be brilliant.
You feel as if you are the tree going through the season changes
You feel as if you are the tree going through the season changes
Dec 07, 2019
Barbara
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
concept-book,
empathy,
families,
kindness,
friendship,
science,
jobs,
resilience,
community,
empowerment
While we're not all destined to be big and strong, each of us has a part to play in the world. This empowering picture book follows the life of a tree that fails to grow very tall and is slightly off kilter. That might be no big deal for most trees, but this one watches as other trees grow straight and firm as the years pass. It isn't clear while it doesn't thrive the way others do, but when it's time for trees to be chosen for Christmas, the tree is left behind. Lonely and confused, the tree cr
...more
From the beginning, this fir tree knew it was different. While the other trees around it were growing big, strong and tall, this fir tree wasn’t. It’s finally the big moment! Families arrive to pick out their Christmas tree to take home and decorate. Guess who is left standing?
Feeling alone, he lets out a lonely cry. Hearing his call, the woodland animals answer by adorning his branches with beautiful treasures and celebrating together.
This is a sweet book and I liked how the book handled the ...more
Feeling alone, he lets out a lonely cry. Hearing his call, the woodland animals answer by adorning his branches with beautiful treasures and celebrating together.
This is a sweet book and I liked how the book handled the ...more
A warm and fuzzy Christmas book about a little tree that didn't get picked by humans to be their trees, but the forest animals did. Beautiful pictures.
...more
Ahhh... such a soothing book. I loved the illustrations and the story was solid.
This book is one of three Christmas books that I have purchased this year and is one that I will read for years to come.
Years ago I began the tradition of buying a Christmas-themed book from my local little indie bookstore.. I wouldn't have found this beautiful book without them! ...more
A lyrical story about celebrating differences and friendship with lovely illustrations.
Very sweet book. The story made my eyes tear up but it's all good. Very appropriate to read to a child and by the end it made me smile. It's Christmassy but does not have to be just for Christmas. The illustrations were very nice also.
...more
Loved the artwork!
This is a book clearly aimed at the Christmas market. It is a large hardback with a dust jacket that is embossed and glittery in places. The dust jacket cover has a green fir tree or Christmas tree on it with a red colour background evoking Christmas. The border of laurel leaves with red berries looking very much like Christmas decorations confirms this.
The story inside is one about how being different is not a bad thing. The tree starts off saying “I am the tree that is meant to be” and we fol ...more
The story inside is one about how being different is not a bad thing. The tree starts off saying “I am the tree that is meant to be” and we fol ...more
This book actually makes me tear up! About a slightly short and crooked tree that isn't chosen by any of the families who are looking for perfection. I feel sad for the trees left behind every year! So the tree is scared and thinks it's all alone when the forest friends come out of the wood-work to decorate and make the tree feel festive. This story reminds me a little bit of Charlie Brown's Christmas. I love at the end that a bird has made its home in its branches and the last page where the ki
...more
Reading this, there was a feeling of serenity. It's a lilting story of a tree in the forest who is wondering where he is meant to be in the world.
Truly a lovely story, and beautifully told. ...more
Truly a lovely story, and beautifully told. ...more
I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely this book is. Both illustrations and text are positive, bright, without being overpowering. The colors are perfect for what is needed, the characters come to life and while the text is spiritual, it is not overly religious. It might be a bit "cute" or "quaint" for some, but that is what makes it the perfect non-Santa holiday story.
...more
A beautiful, illustrated, Christmas book for children, with an ecological theme. Read my full review here: https://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home...
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I read this book when previewing ones to read to my 5th graders for #classroombookaday. This one was okay but not that memorable.
Gorgeous illustrations, but I felt like I tripped up a bit on reading because the rhythm seemed a bit off.
The illustrations are charming.
I wasn't nearly so taken with the story. ...more
I wasn't nearly so taken with the story. ...more
A holiday book with gorgeous illustrations. The actual story is not anything terribly new or original but the pictures are worth basking in.
I love Yuval's information books so couldn't resist buying this as a gift for myself (which I also shared with the grandchildren). It's a simple story about a tree in the forest who doesn't grow big or tall enough to be cut down and used as a Christmas tree. Thus he's left all alone. But the woodland animals dress him with berries and nuts and flowers - and the tree realises he is no longer alone but will forever have friends in his forest home.
This story has so many elements to it. I found the ...more
This story has so many elements to it. I found the ...more
This tree, which I think looks quite nice, is left alone after the Christmas tree season. Nobody picked it. It may not be straight up and down or have the most branches, but it is still plenty of a tree. Charlie Brown would have gone to town. Anyway, it feels alone and unwanted until the animals dress it up with forest cheer. The rhyming is weird and a bit off, but the illustrations are really pretty, and the story is really cute. It could work with a woodland animals storytime, though it does m
...more
The temptation within the genre of children's book is to try and map out a moral to the story and package the whole concept with a neat and trite explanation. Any children's writer worth their salt however will leave that to the readers imagination.
This picture book covers multiple themes that often come up for children and adults alike:
Why am I different?
Am I all alone?
Who am I meant to be?
Where do I find joy?
Where do I find acceptance?
The book is dedicated to the forest, which is from the Nort ...more
This picture book covers multiple themes that often come up for children and adults alike:
Why am I different?
Am I all alone?
Who am I meant to be?
Where do I find joy?
Where do I find acceptance?
The book is dedicated to the forest, which is from the Nort ...more
I can see this being a hit among kids who are a little bit different. Or maybe just their parents. A little tree that doesn't look like the others doesn't get chosen to be a Christmas tree and is left alone and crying. It's rescued from its solitude by the animals of the forest, who decorate it and spend Christmas celebrating with the tree. And then the tree continues to grow up, just the way it was meant to be.
...more
As the other trees that surround a less fortunate fir tree are chosen for the holidays, the fir tree finds a purpose for those remaining forest creatures. Nice holiday book that reminds us that all of us have an important purpose.
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