A Christmas Tree for Pyn

“Oother loved his daughter very much. But he was a bearlike mountain man who did not soften for anyone.” A cheerful girl in spiky pigtails and clogs gradually breaks down her gruff father’s defenses with her persistent pursuit of their first “real” Christmas tree. Dun-rea’s (Old Bear and His Cub) talent for capturing a mood of majestic stillness in snowy landscapes shines yet again, as does his skill at creating cozy, rustic details—bushy fur coats and boots, tree-stump beds, a stone hearth—that suggest a mythical time. Pyn and Papa’s warming relationship is one to celebrate any time of year. Ages 3–8. (Oct.)