BOOK REVIEW: Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

TITLE: Christmas Farm
AUTHOR: Mary Lyn Ray
PUBLISHER: Harcourt Children's Press
DATE OF PUBLICATION: October 1, 2008
FORMAT: Hardcover, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-0152162900

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: 

When Wilma decides that her garden needs a new beginning, she gathers string, scissors, shovels, sixty-two dozen balsam seedlings, and Parker, her five-year-old neighbor. Year after year, Wilma and Parker nurture their trees, keeping careful count of how many they plant, how many perish, and how many grow to become Christmas trees. 

 

This companion to the award-winning Pumpkins: A Story for a Field is a lyrical, behind-the-scenes look at the intricate lives of Christmas trees.           

 

Includes an author’s note about the history and cultivation of Christmas trees.

MY REVIEW:

I read this book aloud to my children.

The story is about a woman named Wilma who loves to garden but wants something more of a challenge than the same old petunias and sunflowers. While chopping down a tree (I love this independent woman!) in the forest on her property, she realizes that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to grow their own Christmas trees. And so her plan begins to grow a Christmas tree farm.

With the help of the five-year old boy next door named Parker, Wilma measures the rows, digs the holes, and plants the seedlings. Parker continues to help Wilma over the years watching the seedlings grow more each year, and he learns it takes a lot of work to ensure that the seedlings survive! Not all of them do, and some are lost each year to wildlife and the inclement weather. With careful nurturing, the majority of the trees survive. After five years' growth, they are ready to be sold as Christmas trees!

This is a feel-good Christmas story! Parker learns the value of hard work, and Wilma and Parker both are filled with joy knowing that their Christmas trees are bringing smiles to the faces of young and old alike.

Ray includes additional information at the end of the book about the history of Christmas trees, which we found very interesting!

We all loved this book, and it is a great addition to your seasonal reading!

MY RATING: 5 stars!! Loved it!!

This book qualifies as:
#95 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#2 for the Visions of Sugar Plums Level of The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

View all my reviews