Under the Christmas Tree [Hardcover]

Nikki Grimes (Author), Kadir Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

The angel smiles
Atop the tree
And proves me right.
She's happiest there
Poised for flight,
Halo kissing the ceiling
Feeling closer to home.

Twenty-three holiday offerings from Coretta Scott King Award-winning poet Nikki Grimes showcase many facets of Christmastime. From neighborhood kids who only need an icy patch and trash-can lid to have fun, to a family grate-fully sitting down to holiday dinner with all the trimmings, to Rhythm Brown-the blind sax-man who plays "Silent Night" as if he witnessed the first Christmas in Bethlehem-Nikki Grimes revels in the sights, sounds, and feelings that make the season so special. Kadir Nelson provides the perfect counterpoint to each poem with a radiant, revealing painting. Under the Christmas Tree is a gift to be treasured and shared. Open it now and enjoy!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With any luck, Santa's sack will be filled with copies of this gem of a picture book. Grimes (Meet Danitra Brown) offers glimpses of Christmastime from a child's eyes, in the form of 23 poems that shine with all the hallmarks of the season. Her text is universal in sentiment, but telling in its detail, as when a child waits for her candle to be lit at a Christmas Eve service ("Two-handed, I manage/ To hold my candle still,/ My heart thundering until/ The flame is finally/ Passed to me") or dreams of joining the skaters she watches, carving figure eights in an ice rink. Nelson's (Big Jabe) tender oil paintings feature African-American children and their families, churchgoers and multi-ethnic passersby on city streets. Expert lighting suffuses his interiors with a golden holiday glow. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Grimes and Nelson are ideal collaborators for this celebration of the sights, sounds, and feelings of Christmas from a child's point of view. Twenty-three poems take readers through the season, focusing on the life of an urban African-American family. The selections capture the excitement and wonder ("Slightly giddy/And primed/For miracles") as well as humor ("Christmas-His cradle/Is empty. Did He grow up?/Is He Santa now?") and wisdom. Nelson's realistic paintings in rich, muted colors and soft textures masterfully portray the warmth and joy of the selections. This is a treasure that families will want to share every year.-M. W.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688159990
• ISBN-13: 978-0688159993
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,942,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nikki Grimes conveyed the fire-in-the-belly fervor of a Harlem girl who knows she was born to write in Jazmin's Notebook, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. In My Man Blue, a Booklist Editor's Choice and Newsweek Children's Books of the Year selection, her artful words expressed a boy's journey from skepticism to trust. And now with Bronx Masquerade she presents a rich chorus of eighteen voices, singing openly about ideas, feelings, and questions--things that open minds, invite debate, provide release. A recent Booklist review proclaims: "As always, Grimes gives young people exactly what they're looking for--real characters who show them they are not alone."An accomplished poet, novelist, journalist, and educator, Ms. Grimes was born and raised in New York City and now lives in the Los Angeles area.