A heartwarming, nostalgic Christmas classic to be shared across generations
The old apple tree that stands near the Ansterburgs' barn house is an important part of their lives. Its sweet, juicy apples go into pies, applesauce, lunch pails, and even decorate their annual Christmas tree. It's also a favorite place for Katrina. There's a special branch where she can sit and draw and dream. The branch is her studio.
But then an ice storm brings down the old tree, splitting it down the middle. There's nothing left to do but chop it up for firewood. As Katrina listens to her father sawing at the tree, she's angry and resentful. Doesn't her father know she can't draw without her beloved tree? Not even the upcoming Christmas holiday can cheer Katrina. Can anything make her feel better?
Inspired by the author's childhood memories, this tender story reveals the joy of a very special gift and the love between a daughter and father.
Trinka Hakes Noble is the award-winning author of numerous picture books including The Orange Shoes (2007 National Parenting Publications Awards Honors Winner), The Scarlet Stockings Spy (2005 IRA Teachers' Choice), The Last Brother, and The Legend of the Cape May Diamond. Ms. Noble also wrote the ever-popular Jimmy's Boa series and Meanwhile Back at the Ranch, both featured on PBS's Reading Rainbow. Her many awards include ALA Notable Children's Book, Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Learning: The Year's Ten Best, and several Junior Literary Guild Selections.
Ms. Noble has studied children's book writing and illustrating in New York City at Parsons School of Design, the New School University, Caldecott medalist Uri Shulevitz's Greenwich Village Workshop, and at New York University. A member of the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature, she was awarded Outstanding Woman 2002 in Arts and Letters in the state of New Jersey for her lifetime work in children's books. Ms. Noble currently lives in the historic Jockey Hollow area of Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Target Age: 6-9
Sleeping Bear Press
Pub Date: September 20, 2005
0.3" H x 11.1" L x 9.1" W
32 pages
hardcover