How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

A youthful narrator supplies instructions on Christmas tree–trimming, offering anecdotal descriptions of the stories behind the ornaments. A classic ball ornament inscribed with the protagonist’s name gets hung first, but the pale-skinned speaker reassures that “anything can be an ornament,” before presenting objects that include a pinecone from a memorable camping trip and a maneki-neko from an aunt in Japan. Throughout, the child’s simple speech has a friendly intimacy that engages (presenting handmade decorations, the speaker prompts, “Bet you can’t guess what they’re made of!”). Final baubles bring further emotion to the enterprise as a parol that Lola Reyna brought from the Philippines becomes a source of remembrance, and another name-inscribed bulb sweetly reveals the subject of the speaker’s address. Cut paper, textiles, and string lend the creative team’s project a homespun three-dimensionality that pairs gently with the cozy domesticity of this affectionate family story. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)