Delia Huddy (1934–2005)

A straggly little fir tree finds itself unwanted at Christmas-time in this holiday story from British author Delia Huddy, until a poor street boy brings it back to the box under a bridge where he sleeps. Soon the other homeless occupants of the underpass join together in song in front of the tree, attracting passersby, and leading to a magical night of music. When the tree is picked up by a street-cleaner, instead of being thrown away it is planted in a local park, going on to have a long life...

I was surprised to see, when I picked up this sweet-looking miniature picture-book, that Huddy was the author, as I believe she died a few years ago. Apparently The Christmas Eve Tree was published posthumously, with the consent of her estate. Leaving that aside, this was an engaging tale, one that touches upon poverty and homelessness, but is more focused on exploring the spirit of Christmas. Given the subject matter, I would have expected to find it a little more emotionally resonant than I did, but it was still an appealing holiday tale. The accompanying watercolor artwork by Emily Sutton was lovely, with a two-page pop-up spread at the end that came as a nice surprise. Recommended to readers looking for children's Christmas stories that feature the homeless and/or communal celebrations, with the further recommendation that if they want a story where poverty at the holidays is a narrative focus, they also seek out Kate DiCamillo's excellent picture-book, Great Joy.… (mehr)