Night Tree

A family sets out on their annual trek to find their Christmas tree in this engaging holiday story from the prolific Eve Bunting. Rather than cutting it down, however, they decorate it right there in the woods, hanging garlands of popcorn, apples and oranges, and homemade sunflower-seed-balls on it, for the local animal population. Then, in the quiet of the dark night, they sit and watch, drinking hot chocolate, and singing Christmas carols...

Simply told, and beautifully illustrated, Night Tree is just a lovely book, with a quiet, contemplative feeling that will leave the reader feeling peaceful and content. Like another reviewer, I found myself wishing, as I was reading, that I had a tradition like this, for my own holiday observances. show more How wonderful, to track the growth of the same tree, over the years, and to return to it each December! I was reminded of the story in Patricia Polacco's Uncle Vova's Tree, which also includes an outdoor tree, decorated with treats for the animals. Recommended (highly!) to young readers who are looking for something a little different, in their Christmas tree stories. show less

Night Tree by Eve Bunting is a warm and gentle Christmas story that follows a family's unique holiday tradition. It’s told through the eyes of a young boy who describes their yearly trip into the forest on Christmas Eve to decorate a special tree with popcorn strings, apples, and other treats for the animals. It's a quiet, meaningful celebration that highlights the joy of giving and a deep appreciation for nature—offering a thoughtful contrast to the typical hustle and bustle of commercial holiday traditions.
The illustrations, by Ted Rand, are slightly vintage looking and capture the quiet magic of Christmas Eve in the woods. There is soft moonlight, snow-covered trees, and peaceful nighttime scenes. Seems the mood is reflective and show more calm. The family is shown bundled up, walking through the forest with a box of vintage decor - popcorn garlands, apples, oranges. show less

I really enjoyed reading Night Tree as it’s an easy read for elementary-aged children, but the underlying theme may be difficult for younger readers to fully comprehend. Eve Bunting portrays a common event within American households, which is the celebration of Christmas. It began by illustrating a family of four in their car driving to get their tree late on Christmas eve, eventually arriving to their destination of Luke’s Forest. There, the boy describes all of the trees around him along with the path they took with his parents and little sister. This is done in a way where the language used is very clear and descriptive for readers of all ages. The illustrations are beautiful, with a picture of a starry night with trees all show more around that definitely enhanced the idea that it was a treasured tradition in their household. While walking the path, his father discovers a deer ahead, shining his flashlight on it and then it scurries away. Eventually, his father shines his flashlight on the tree they decorate every year and the boy notes that it has grown since the previous year. His mother replies to him, “So have you”, and they begin to decorate. This is a key component of the story as it goes beyond the theme of family and his experiences while being surrounded by the wilderness. His younger sister Nina comments “So have I” before they began to decorate. From the surface, it may seem like a small comment that progresses the story but though further analysis, the reader can interpret these comments through the mother’s eyes. She sees that both of her children are slowly growing out of their youth and are growing up into adolescence as they get taller and age. On the following page, there is an owl illustration that showed an owl peering down on the family as they discovered their tree. The narrator makes the comment “There are secrets all around us”, not only implying the unknown of the animals and tree around them but also the unknown of the boy’s future as he grows older. This perspective really pushes readers to think beyond what is written and to consider the feelings of other characters in order to see the big idea of the story. Children believe that family traditions will always occur each year, unable to see the “secret” which is the possibility of them growing out of it. Although there are several different themes present, I believe a more appropriate main theme for this book would be coming-of-age due to these interpretations.
As they finish up decorating, they place a blanket in front of it to sit and admire their work. The boy and Nina sing Christmas songs around the tree before leaving and Nina is carried back sleeping. The language present within the book’s dialogue was done in a way that is super easy for younger readers to follow along with, along with appropriate illustrations that corresponded with the text. For instance, at the end of the book the boy lying in bed, thinking about all of the animals celebrating Christmas and singing around the tree that his family decorated along with an illustration on the following page showing that. This perspective is appropriate for growing a child’s imagination and is interesting for younger readers since almost every child is excited for the holidays and can share that excitement. Since the story is narrated through the boy’s perspective, younger children are not only exposed to a different style of writing, but can also place themselves in the boy’s shoes and relate to him with similar feelings and experiences.
Throughout the entire book, the boy and his family are all together for a holiday tradition, a heartwarming yet unforgettable experience that many families go through. The central message of the book revolves around the themes of family and coming-of-age, with underlying topics of nature, tradition, and the holiday season (as seen through the illustrations). Although there was no moral or lesson to be learned from this book, not all books need to have them to portray a meaningful story. Night Tree is unique as it has the potential to become a lesson, allowing younger readers the opportunity to see beyond the words and illustrations to come up with their own underlying meaning of a character’s words and actions. show less

I enjoyed reading this book; I would give it a five star rating. It is a relatable book for kids; many probably do this with their families when they go to pick out their Christmas tree. Or if they don't necessarily celebrate Christmas, they probably have some sort of holiday tradition with their families. The illustrations are extremely vivid and realistic. I love the photo at the end of all the animals dancing around the beautifully decorated tree. As well as the illustration where the family is all tucked under the blanket snuggled up together, it allows you to feel the coziness, as if you're there with them. There are also great descriptions relating to the illustrations drawn. I love the line, “It hasn’t snowed yet. It’s so show more cold my breath hurts." As well as "The sky is spattered with stars, and the moon, big as a basketball, slides in and out between the treetops.” These descriptive words allow for a great picture in ones mind. Although there is no underlying theme, there is an experience displayed and I think children enjoy reading about those. show less

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the believable characters and creative illustrations. First, the book is based on a family who visits a particular tree in the nearby forest – Luke’s Forest – annually around Christmas. The boy and his younger sister, together with their parents, visit their tree and reflect on how much it has grown and how they have grown as well within a year. The characters are believable in that the readers can easily think of families that travel together during special occasions. Second, the creative illustrations of the forest and the family traveling through the trees under the moonlight truly enhance the beauty of the book. For instance, I was captivated by the illustration of the illuminating show more tree after the family hung Christmas decorations on it. The central message is that children can gain valuable insight from the nature. show less

I enjoyed this story by Eve Bunting for 3 reasons. Firstly, I really enjoyed the illustrations that accompanied the text. Since this is a Christmas-themed book, the illustrations really conjured up images of Christmas time for me. For instance, the decorated Christmas tree illustration reminds me of spending time with my family at home decorating our own tree. Secondly, I thought Bunting did a great job of helping readers truly live in the story. With phrases like, "It's so cold my breath hurts," and, "I come last, with the blanket," I feel like I am right there with the family. The well constructed first person point of view does a good job establishing this feeling. Lastly, I loved the subtle suspense of the story. The entire time I show more was wondering why they were going into the woods to decorate a tree. When I realized they do this as a tradition instead of bringing a tree into their home, I was ecstatic! I thought it was very cute (and environmentally conscious) of them to do that, and is a great way to feed the animals in the forest, too. Overall, this is a great Christmas time read. show less

I liked this story for many reasons. I liked how the book tells the story of a Christmas tradition they do together as a family because it reminds me of the traditions i do with my family during Christmas time. The illustrator did a great job of showing the reader the actions that the text is describing. The pictures take up the whole page which is very engaging for young children. The text is very descriptive that even without the illustrations a student would be able to close their eyes and picture what the author is describing. For example the author writes, " there are oaks growing here and alder and maples that are bare now and white in the moonshine." From that small excerpt you can imagine being in the woods with tall trees that show more have the moon light shining on them. The author does a great job describing how the character feels without actually saying it. show less