The Trees Kneel at Christmas [Library Binding]

Maud Hart Lovelace (Author), Marie-Claude Monchaux (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

After Grandmother explains why the trees in Lebanon kneel at Christmas, Afify and Hanna hope to witness a similar miracle in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Written by the author of the well-loved Betsy-Tacy books, this Christmas story originally appeared in 1951. Today, with new artwork, it is historical fiction that brings to life the immigrant experience. Lovelace portrays an extended family that treasures its Lebanese traditions, takes pride in its adaptation to American ways, and celebrates religious faith as its guiding principle. After seven-year-old Afify and her younger brother, Hanna, hear a story about the trees kneeling down to worship on Christmas Eve, Afify decides they will go to their Brooklyn park to see the trees bow down. Praying to be worthy of seeing the miracle, Afify tries to be saintlike all day, though she finds the going rough. Finally, after their relatives have left for midnight mass, Afify takes Hanna to the park, where they find their special trees, heavy with ice, bowing down. Their parents are upset, but when Afify and Hanna tell of the miracle they've seen, the whole family draws together in the grace of that moment. What shines here is the mystery of religious experience and the notion of religion as the central guiding principle of a family's life. While some aspects of the story would undoubtedly be told differently today (the family's veneration of the father, two uncles smoking a water pipe, the idea of leaving children alone at night), the book seems true to its time. Better yet, Lovelace's ability to portray children, their thoughts, emotions, and, in this case, their faith, has a timeless quality that makes this a refreshing Christmas story. Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Abdo & Daughters Publishing (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562399993
• ISBN-13: 978-1562399993
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,348,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maud Hart Lovelace, born in 1892, is the author of the Betsy-Tacy series, in addition to several other books for adults and children. She based the Betsy-Tacy series on her own childhood and once wrote, "I lived the happiest childhood a child could possibly know," and it is this joy that comes through in her books. She died in 1980 but her legacy lives on in the beloved series she created and in her legions of fans, many of whom are members of the Betsy-Tacy Society, a national organization based in Mankato, MN.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching tale about a young girl and an old legend, December 22, 1999

By 

"betsyray" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trees Kneel at Christmas (Library Binding)

Although I read and reread all of the author's Betsy-Tacy books as a child, I had never heard of "The trees kneel at Christmas" until it was rescued and rereleased by Abdo and Daughters several years ago.

The story was inspired by a legend the author heard from a Lebanese immigrant woman while living in New York. She kept the legend -- that the cedar trees in Lebanon kneel down at midnight on Christmas Eve -- in her mind for quite some time, until a visit to a local school matched the face of a young girl with the story.

The story is told quite simply and timelessly. Young Afify hears the legend of the kneeling cedars from her grandmother and wonders if the trees kneel in Brooklyn, too. The remainder of the story follows her as she sets out in search of a miracle.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pass on Your Lebanese/Syrian Heritage, May 30, 2001

By 

John Corey (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trees Kneel at Christmas (Library Binding)

This book is a must read for anyone familiar with Lebanese/Syrian immigrants to the US in the last 100 years.

The characters and customs in the book are so much like the people and things I remember as a child.

If you are of Lebanese/Syrian descent, you should read this book to your children/grandchildren. It's a great way to keep the values and customs alive of our parents and grandparents.