SOLVED. Children's book about a child who gets a tree for a present. [s]

[Amber]

I read this book as a child in Australia in the early to mid 1980s, I think it would have been published around then. Could be Australian, American or British.

A little girl (or it could have been a boy) is given a strangely shaped present for Christmas/birthday, and tries to guess what it might be. It turns out to be a small tree. The child is not very impressed, but nevertheless she plants it in the garden. The following year she is given another strangely shaped gift, she imagines it might be a pet snake but it turns out to be a hose. Again, she's not impressed, but she goes out and waters the little tree with her new hose. Another year, another strange gift, I can't remember what else. Finally she is given a ladder, and at the end of the book she uses the ladder to reach the apples growing in her now-big tree. Possibly there's a tyre swing too.

I think the illustrations were simple two-coloured drawings.

Not much info, sorry!

[Tab]

Charlie's Birthday Present by Bernice Myers

Here is the description on Google Books
Charlie had expected new toys and games for his birthday, but when his parents surprised him with a tree, a hose, a bird house, and a ladder, Charlie was shocked and disappointed. How could his parents give him these kinds of gifts for his birthday?

It sounds like an adorable story.

[Amber]

Yes, that's the one, thanks Tab!

It's funny that I remembered it being a girl.