BELLA’S TREE

Bella and her dog Bruno vainly search for the perfect Christmas tree to correct Nan’s “crooked” disposition. She chooses each tree with care, receiving a blessing from the neighborhood birds to cut down their homes. Though a disgruntled Nan decorates each tree, she only rejoices when the waxwings adorn the fir tree’s branches inside their house on Christmas Day. Soft snow covers the trees’ bending branches in Marton’s oil pastels, and the birds’ flashing colors lighten the wintry Newfoundland setting. Russell’s storyteller’s voice rings clear in the lengthy narrative, lending the tale a timeless quality. Nan’s tree-identification songs (piggybacking on traditional tunes) sound an odd note, however—“All trees have leaves / but the leaves that leave / from deciduous trees / can pile up to your knees”—detracting from the charm of Bella’s quest. (Picture book. 5-8)