David Rubel (1) (1961–)

A poignant holiday tale, one which highlights the importance of generosity, and the joy of unexpected gifts at Christmas-time, The Carpenter's Gift was a pleasure to read! David Rubel's fictional narrative, which is set during the Great Depression, is inspired by the very first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree - set up informally by construction workers on the site, in 1931 - and follows the story of a young boy whose father, out of work and down on his luck, takes him down to New York City show more to sell trees. Aided in setting up by Frank and some of the other construction workers they meet, Henry and his father end up giving the trees they don't sell to their new friends, who unexpectedly repay them tenfold, showing up at their rundown shack the next day, with extra lumber and the offer of help to build a new house. Recalling these events, many years later, Henry - who ended up becoming a carpenter - decides to donate his giant fir tree, grown from the pinecone he found that extraordinary day in New York City, allowing it to be used as that year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Although the story of Henry and his father is fictional, it includes a number of historical and contemporary facts, from the construction workers who set up the first tree at Rockefeller Center, to the current use of that tree, after Christmas is over, in a Habitat for Humanity building project. I really appreciated the cyclical nature of this story, with an elder (Frank) giving Henry a number of gifts as a young boy - the new house, his hammer - and Henry passing on those gifts to another child, when he is an old man. I also really liked the fact that the story here highlights the reality that one of New York's most beloved holiday traditions, despite its current glamorous trappings, and very wealthy setting, was the brain-child of working people, and began as a spontaneous expression of gratitude for work - a feeling with which many Americans can identify these days. I couldn't help thinking, as I was reading this brief story, of how often we forget that it is the ordinary working people who make all good things possible in our society, rather than the wealthy and powerful. What better reminder, in this day of glitz, than a story about the origins of one of the most famous Christmas trees in our country?

In addition to really appreciating its message, both as a story of the holiday spirit, and as an expression of solidarity with people struggling through hard times, I loved the artwork in The Carpenter's Gift, which was simply gorgeous. Jim LaMarche delivers another luminous triumph here, with expressive paintings that really capture the feeling of each scene. Through LaMarche's painting, one can feel the morning cold with Henry, and experience with him his surprise and delight, when Frank and the others show up at his house. This is just a lovely, lovely book, one I highly recommend to anyone looking for excellent Christmas stories, and to fans of the artist. show less

I enjoyed this book for what it is. There are four "syllabi", each of which contain 5 topics. Each topic in a syllabus is spread over 18 pages. You can approach it anyway you want: read 1 page of each topic a day (5 pages) for 18 days to finish the syllabus, or maybe follow one topic within a syllabus all the way through (18 pages) or read a topic over several syllabi: for example, the topic "American History" in syllabi one and four cover "General Grant's Civil War" and "Civil Rights show more Movement", or topic "Physical Science" covers "The Astronomical Universe", "The History of the Earth" and "Einstein and Relativity". You get a well-written overview of the topic by a specialist in the course of 18 pages, each page dedicated to one important aspect of the topic. It puts things in context, yet doesn't get bogged down in detail or overly complex. At the back of the book, there is a short bibliography for each topic for further reading. It's a good way to get your footing in an area you may be interested in, but know little about. show less

Super wholesome story that shows the power of generosity and helping people, along with the beautiful story of a Rockefeller Tree. The main character goes through his entire life, recounting the time when him and his dad were working hard, some generous and kind people helping to build them a new house, to growing this beautiful pine tree for like 60-70 years and giving it up to be the Rockefeller tree, and allowing the wood to be used to build a family in need home. The way the story wraps show more up at the end with the main character giving the little girl his hand-me-down hammer was so satisfying and made me so happy. show less

A heartwarming story of the first Rockefeller Christmas tree. It is definitely going to be an every Christmas tradition to read aloud this book to my class, because it is about giving. David Rubel dedicated it to " those who give back and those who receive without forgetting", and there is so much wisdom in that.
A struggling New York father who lost his job in the choking grip of Great Depression decides to make some money by cutting down and selling Christmas trees. The main character of show more the story, his son, takes the trip. Together they make profit and new friends at the midtown construction site, so the last few trees they give to the kind worked who helped them set up. They all decorate the tallest tree by the Rockefeller center, and the little boy, mesmerized by the beauty if the tree, the company, the night, makes a wish to live in a real, warm house one day. Well, the next day, Christmas morning, the workers show up at his parents' shack and start building them a new home! It is now a tradition that the lumber from every Christmas tree at Rockefeller center is used to build a house for a family in need. The little boy grows up and becomes old, and the beautiful spruce he planted when his house was built gets to be the new Rockefeller Christmas tree, and struggling family gets a new house. This book is truly about giving and helping. The illustrations by Jim LaMarche capture the wonders of giving, kindness, and Christmas like I have never seen before! I couldn’t help but to cry like a baby when I was reading this incredible book. Thank you, David Rubel and Jim LaMarche. show less