Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel [Hardcover]

Shirley Climo (Author), Jane Manning (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2001 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

All her life, Tante had heard tales about marvelous happenings on Christmas Eve. Animals might speak aloud. Bees might hum carols, or cocks crow at midnight. Tante wished she could witness a bit of Christmas magic, too.

Everybody loves Christmas at Tante's. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearby village children or the shy animals of the pine forest. The only creatures Tante overlooks are the spiders she has swept out of her cottage while cleaning. But the curious spiders want to come inside and see Tante's tree, too. When a midnight visitor lets them into the old lady's home, they unknowingly spin Tante the very gift she has longed for--a gift that has inspired the draping of tinsel on Christmas trees ever since.

This Old World tale about the warmth and wonder of Christmas will leave children enchanted with the magical possibilities of the season.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Youngsters can learn about the all-important tree trimmer in Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel (1982) by Shirley Climo, illus. by Jane Manning. Set in Germany, this charming story asserts that curious spiders paying a visit to Grandma's tree are responsible for the tinsel tradition.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reS-Gr 1-A revised and newly illustrated version of a story published in 1982, illustrated by Joe Lasker. An old Bavarian woman does her annual cleaning and then invites children and animals in to admire her beautifully decorated Christmas tree and eat goodies. Only the spiders, which are ushered outside every year, miss out on the festivities, so Kriss Kringle (Christkindel in the earlier edition) lets them into Tante's house as he passes by, and they leave cobwebs all over the tree, which he then transforms into silver and gold-the first tinsel. Climo explains in a note in this edition that the story is based on a folktale whose roots go back more than 200 years. The modest text revisions result in a trimmer, more succinct story, while the new illustrations (still retaining a folkloric, old-fashioned quality) and larger format enhance the book's use in group storytime. Libraries owning the earlier edition will want to keep it while adding this welcome new interpretation of the appealing story.-E. M.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060290331
• ISBN-13: 978-0060290337
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Magic, December 19, 2005

By 

Cheryle Katribe "teacher" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel (Hardcover)

This is a revised edition of a book previously published in 1982. I personally prefer the earlier version as this version leaves out some beautiful descriptions that add to the story. In addition, Christkindel is changed to Kris Kringle. I own both versions, but read the earlier version to my fourth grade classes every year at Christmas. I'm hoping they will revise it back to the original so I can buy it in hardcopy as my paperback version is starting to show much wear and tear after 17 years.

Not a bad story if you haven't read the original version though.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Childs Magical Christmas, February 14, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel (Hardcover)

I think a younger kid (4-8) would like to read this book. This book takes place at Christmas time in Germany. It is about an old lady named Tante (Auntie). Every year she decorates a Christmas tree for animals and they come enjoy the surprises she has for them. Tante doesn't like spiders so every year she wipes them away. The spiders want to see the tree, but they never get to. Read this book to see what happens to those little spiders this year.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful retelling of a German folktale, December 22, 2010

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel (Hardcover)

My kindergartner and I have read many Christmas-themed books this holiday season and this is one of our favorites. It is a retelling of a German folktale that centers around the myth of the use of tinsel in decorating Christmas trees. Readers are introduced to 'tante' or 'auntie' (in German) who loves to decorate her Christmas tree and makes sure that each and every visitor, be it human or animal, gets something from their visit to see her tree.

One Christmas eve, Kris Kringle (Santa Claus) is making his rounds when he spies the spiders outside Tante's house. You see, when Tante cleans the cobwebs from her house and tree, the poor spiders get pushed out too, and are not able to share in the delights of the Christmas tree. Kris Kringle lets them back into the house, and leaves Tante a magical Christmas surprise!

This is a wonderful and inspired retelling of the German folktale, which according to the author Shirley Climo, dates back more than two hundred years. It is also a story that has versions in many other countries, e.g. Poland, Russia, Romania, etc. There is an author's note at the back of the book explaining this story in greater detail. The colorful illustrations by Jane Manning make this an engaging and delightful Christmas read, perfect for sharing and reading aloud this holiday season!