Customer Reviews

Christmas Farm

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wilma is getting tired of planting sunflowers and petunias in her garden. So, she's looking around for a change. When she goes out to cut down her annual Christmas tree, Wilma knows what she's going to grow in her garden: Christmas trees. So, she places an order for sixty-two dozen balsam seedlings, and gathers string, shovels, and her five-year-old neighbor, Parker.

Year after year, Wilma and Parker nurture their trees, keeping careful count of how many perish to what causes, and how many grow up to be Christmas trees.

Christmas Farm doesn't really go into detail about what it is like to own and operate a Christmas tree farm, but it does cover a few of the things they do to care for trees, how long they have to grow, and what might kill the trees.

With Christmas quickly approaching, Christmas Farm is definitely a book you'll want to pick up for your favorite three- to seven-year-old. My three-year-old and my six-year-old both enjoyed this book, though it held the six-year-old's attention a little better.

The illustrations are beautiful, and the text is interesting. Even grown-ups would enjoy reading this book to learn a little about where their Christmas trees might come from.

Armchair Interviews says: A nice holiday addition to a family's library.

My son checked this book out of his school library but couldn't find the book at our public library. The story is very entertaining and has my children focus on what it takes to put a Christmas tree in our living room each December. My boys 4 and 7 enjoy this story.

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!!

I don't remember exactly how we came to posess this book but it is easily the best children's christmas book I've ever read. My son is 4 and a half and he actually looks forward to reading this book as part of our holidays. We own hundreds of children's books and have always read to my son at least half an hour daily, this title is hands down my favorite read and one my son or my wife and I never tire of.

The book is beautifully illustrated and a sweet story. I was disappointed to find a misspelling on the back flap, i.e. "bares resemblance"?!?!?!? This is a children's book. Let's educate our children to spell correctly. AARGH!