A Christmas Promise

Amy awakens the morning of Christmas Eve, happy that the day has arrived when her tree will be chopped down, brought inside and decorated. All year long birds, small mammals, insects and even a snake have used the evergreen as home. They had promised Amy that they would move out by Christmas, and they have all kept their word. But the abandoned tree saddens Amy. She calls out to the empty tree, begging the forest creatures to return. This time Amy makes the promise: the tree, intact, can be theirs forever. That night the animals wake Amy up to show her they are back; they have artfully arranged themselves among the branches as living ornaments. The pictures are lovely, with the texture of handmade paper bringing an additional softness to the pencil and watercolor shapes and shadows. (4-up)