Written by the author of the Gossie & Friends series, A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea tells the story of little Pyn, her papa Oother, and a longing for a real Christmas tree. As Christmas approaches in the craggy rocks on the snowy mountainside, Pyn wishes for a Christmas tree. Despite her papa telling her, “No Christmas tree,” Pyn is determined to find the perfect tree to complete their Christmas in the mountain cottage.
Recommended for readers from preschool through third grade, A Christmas Tree for Pyn is quite a bit longer than most of the Gossie & Friends books. Every two pages features an illustration and a couple of paragraphs of text. However, despite the extra length, my toddler daughter still enjoyed hearing the story read aloud to her. She loves Christmas, so reading a story focused on a Christmas tree really helped hold her attention.
Older readers will also enjoy the story in A Christmas Tree for Pyn. The language features quite a bit of common vocabulary with some new words thrown in. Many of the sentences are more complex in structure. However, the complex sentences are interspersed with simpler sentences, making the story in this book great for language and reading development.
Like the Gossie & Friends series, my favorite part of A Christmas Tree for Pyn is the illustrations. I can best describe the illustration style of Olivier Dunrea books as whimsical. The pictures help bring the story to life very simply. Although fairly sparse, the illustrations are still full of details. I find myself pouring over each page, taking in all the small details in her illustration.
Final Verdict: If you are looking for a book about a Christmas tree to read with your child this holiday season, I cannot recommend A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea more highly. The story is written for a slightly older audience, although my toddler daughter still enjoyed hearing the book read aloud. My favorite part of the book, however, are the illustrations, which I can describe only as whimsical. My daughter and I give A Christmas Tree for Pyn four enthusiastic thumbs up.
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Image Credits
‘A Christmas Tree for Pyn’ Book Review © 2014 Heather Johnson
Cover of A Christmas Tree for Pyn © 2014 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of A Christmas Tree for Pyn © 2014 Heather Johnson
