🎄❄️ “Needles: The Forgotten Christmas Tree” (2023) ❄️🎄 – Book Review
Book Title: Needles the Forgotten Christmas Tree by Richard Wagner
Category: Children's Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 32 pages
Genre: Children's Book
Publisher: Mascot
Release date: Mar 7, 2023
Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.
The world is not always perfect. A scraggly little tree named Needles must endure taunts, criticism, and setbacks to realize his goal of becoming a beautiful Christmas tree.
This is a story of hope, dreams, desires, determination, and never giving up. It also offers the observation that what others think is beautiful may not really matter. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder . . . and paired with the spirit of Christmas, maybe we can make the world just a little more perfect!
One of the treasures I loved getting as a child was a book to read. And, as a child, I went through a LOT of books. It’s no wonder I did – they’re often very short.
This time of year, Christmas, is a great time to teach certain lessons to our children – and, sometimes serves as a reminder to us adults as well.
For those of us who grew up with A Charlie Brown Christmas, we can hardly forget the poor little tree that Charlie Brown got for the Christmas play. And, in the end, we realize that for something to flourish – it needs love. Even the smallest tree is beautiful.
Wagner takes a similar approach to the “poor little tree” story, only from the tree’s perspective.
After being raised in hopes of being a Christmas tree, Needles is taken to a lot where – like the Charlie Brown special – is overlooked because of his size. At least he didn’t have to compete with the aluminum trees.
Yet, no one seems to want poor Needles.
He is given to a family who already has a tree, and eventually ends up as a “giveaway” on the side of the road until claimed by a disabled child who cannot afford one.
It is a short, sweet story with some important lessons:
#1 – Just because something is small doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of being loved or wanted
#2 – There are some people who are simply grateful for the smallest of treasures
The book is beautifully illustrated and written for ages 5+ because of some of the words. It is a great way of teaching kids to look past certain “aspects” and also to be appreciative of what is given to them.
Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wagner grew up in Southern California. When he was 14-years old, a business friend of his father’s had a small Christmas tree delivered as a thank you. Their family already had a large tree decorated in the house. Not being able to find anyone who needed a tree, that small Christmas tree stood outside by itself for the remainder of the Christmas holiday.
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