The Fir Tree

by Bernadette Watts (Illustrator), Hans Christian Andersen

A little fir tree realizes too late that it did not appreciate the grand moments of life, such as being a Christmas tree, while they were happening.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Classics, Childrens, Scandinavian Literature, Folklore

28 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile]

Reread but apparently I never left a review the first time. Charming but bittersweet tale about the hopeful life of a tree.

[Janine W.]

Why are Andersen's fairytales always so melancholic 🥺

[Abigail]

The Fir Tree, illustrated by Bernadette Watts.

Bernadette Watts - who has also illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling and The Snow Queen - turns her attention to his melancholy arboreal "biography" in this lovely picture-book. Never content with his present lot, always looking ahead and wanting more, the titular fir tree is unable to appreciate the true meaning of the events of his life, from being made into a Christmas decoration, to being stored in the attic.

After finding Watts' interpretation of The Snow Queen rather lackluster, I wasn't sure I would care for her rendition of The Fir Tree. I am happy to report, however, that I really enjoyed her illustrations here, finding them quite well-suited to the tale. From the exuberant hare jumping over the tiny snow-bound fir, to the bedraggled, dried-out tree stacked in the corner of an attic, Watts' pictures capture the emotions of the tale: its sense of beauty, sadness, and most of all, regret. I'm glad I gave her work a second chance, and am even wondering if I was too hard on her efforts for The Snow Queen: it's possible her edition simply suffered in comparison to the Vladyslav Yerko edition...

[qershore]

2.5

[Molly]

THE FIR TREE

Beautiful message on learning to appreciate what you have at all times throughout life, not wishing away the present for future rewards and glory. I do believe I would’ve preferred to hear this message in a more positive way as I found this to be very sad. Why do I sometimes find children’s fairytales to be kind of creepy??

[Diane Gabriel]

Great story for children! Start them early in understanding the effects of Christmas on the environment (lol). As an adult, I found this story incredibly depressing, and now I shall think of the fir tree in this story at every exuberant Christmas display throughout London. On a more optimistic note, there are trees available for Christmas that do not have to be chopped down, but are grown in a pot until maturity and then retired to the forest (a much happier, but less HC Andersen ending)

[Tri✿]

In the end, the little fir tree's realization serves as a poignant reminder for all of us. It highlights the importance of cherishing and savoring the precious moments that life offers, for they may pass by unnoticed if we fail to appreciate them. The story of the little fir tree teaches us to live in the present, to embrace the beauty of each passing moment, and to find joy in the simple pleasures that surround us.

[Olivia]

Though this book takes place partially during Christmas, I would not consider this to be a holiday book. Basically, it's about a tree that is rarely happy throughout it's life, then it dies. It might be a good read for older children or even adults, but the whole thing is kind of melancholy and I would not read it to younger children, especially not sensitive ones.

[Mortisha Cassavetes]

This is definitely not the first time I read this story but I always loved this book especially around the holiday season. The story follows a little fir tree and how he wished the people would come and take him out of the forest like he sees other trees go. I don't want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but I highly recommend it to kids of all ages.

[Bree]

Notes:
tree complains the whole time and ends up as firewood in the end
terrible
"appreciate the moment" moral is over kids' heads

[Tom]

Concerns the dangers of wanting to grow up too fast. I watched a brilliant and poignant adaptation of this tale at Christmas by the BBC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aug4E...

[Becca]

This is the most depressing story ever. But the illustrations were fantastic!

[Kitsu-Nee]

Przyjemna, nieco nostalgiczna opowieść z mądrym morałem.