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Summary
Summary
Lori Nichols's delightful book celebrates the bond of two nature-loving sisters, and their ability to find fantastic kid-powered solutions to any problem-and it will give allergy sufferers an extra reason to celebrate.
Maple and Willow love trees-and now they are getting their first real Christmas tree. It is going to be the best Christmas ever! After a snowy expedition to pick out the perfect tree, it's time to decorate. But whenever Maple gets near the tree, she starts sniffling and sneezing. Could she really be allergic to the perfect Christmas tree? And if so, how will the girls find a way to make this the best Christmas after all?
Author Notes
Lori Nichols (www.lorinichols.com) spent her childhood in northwestern Pennsylvania, surrounded by maple trees. As she grew, so did her appreciation of trees and nature. Her books about nature-loving sisters Maple and Willow spring from this love, and the New York Times Book Review called them "utterly charming." Lori now lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three free-spirited daughters. Many days you can find Lori and her family under their maple tree, swinging in hammocks, playing kickball or just being loud.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The fourth book featuring charming young sisters Maple and Willow is set at Christmas, when the excitement of getting a real tree for the first time is eclipsed by Maple's immediate allergic reaction to it. Both girls are sad when they have to put the tree outside as a result. After an exchange of words during which feelings are hurt, Willow gets creative and surprises Maple with a decorated ladder "tree." Cheerful pastel pencil drawings with plenty of white space appropriately capture the snowy season. VERDICT Simple yet satisfying, this story of sibling thoughtfulness and surprise successfully evokes the holiday spirit.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Maple and her younger sister, Willow, return in their fourth picture book, and they're busy with the "hard work" of Christmas preparations, including baking cookies, selecting "the best Christmas tree... in the whole wide world," and decorating it. When Maple starts sneezing as soon as the fir tree comes inside, the sisters' visions of Christmas are upended. Nichols does a lovely job of showing the closeness between these girls (discussions of which tree is best are conducted in pig Latin) and how that closeness is, at least temporarily, threatened. "Willow, I'm sorry I ruined Christmas," Maple confesses. "I'm sorry you ruined Christmas, too," Willow replies. The younger girl's anger and disappointment are short-lived, and her (truly unexpected) solution to their allergy-driven holiday dilemma will bring smiles to readers' faces, just as it does to Maple's. Ages 3-5. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In their fourth book, sisters Maple and Willow are overjoyed to pick out their first real Christmas tree. Once they bring their perfect tree into the house, though, Maple cannot stop sneezing, so the tree gets moved outside. Willow blames her older sister for the loss of the tree and lashes out (I wish you werent allergic to Christmas), but her anger and Maples hurt feelings are short lived, and the storys resolution is creatively festive. Nicholss digitally colored pencil-on-mylar drawings highlight the emotions and energy of these spirited siblings. courtney burke (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The fourth entry in the Maple series finds sisters Maple and Willow excited about Christmas preparations, especially getting their first real Christmas tree.This year the sisters are going to a tree farm with their parents to select a real tree. But as soon as the tree is brought into the house, Maple begins to sneeze uncontrollably. Their tree must be moved outside, and little sister Willow has something unkind to say about Christmas being ruined. Willow feels remorseful about hurting her big sisters feelings, so she creeps downstairs at night and decorates a small stepladder with lights and ornaments. Willow even lets Maple put the star on top of their creative Christmas ladder-tree. The understated humor, spare language, and white backgrounds convey a calm, minimalist world in which Christmas isnt overwhelming and sisters always work out their differences. Endearing illustrations in pencil with digital coloring show the two round-headed, light-skinned little girls enjoying their time together, from sledding to baking to building an unusual snowman. The illustrations of snow-covered evergreen trees are particularly intriguing, with fluffy layers of snow floating on prickly green tree branches with astonishing verisimilitude. The final, wordless page shows the sisters Christmas gifts under the ladder, with a small, tree-shaped pot of rosemary for Maple and a wrapped watering can for the sisters to share. A charming addition to a winning series. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sisters Maple and Willow make their fourth appearance, and this time out, they're getting ready for Christmas. The girls are finally buying a real tree, and the snowy spreads at the Christmas tree farm are as enticing as the girls are excited. But alas, Maple is allergic to the trees, and Willow is hardly sympathetic. When Maple apologizes for ruining Christmas, Willow says, I'm sorry you ruined Christmas, too. It doesn't take long for Willow to feel bad, and she comes up with a plan. Whether or not readers will find the result quite as delightful as the girls do Willow decorates a ladder as a tree substitute it does make the ending a surprise. As in previous books, Nichols admirably captures the sisterly bond, often without words. The ink-and-watercolor artwork is full of real-life emotions, everything from Maple's dismay at her reddening nose as the allergies kick in to the final images of the girls enjoying their yule ladder. A welcome holiday choice.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
