"Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect"
by Richard H Sheneider
Illus by Elizabeth J Miles
Abingdon Press, Nashfield
An evergreen hoping to be chosen as the queen's Christmas tree gives shelter and food to animals in the forest, giving up its aspirations of perfection in the process. Unexpectedly the tree is honored as the queen's choice.
The story itself is much more compelling than my simple summary. It's interesting and rich with multiple points of meaning and metaphor.
It manages this without being either strained with complexity or overly simplistic, at least until the last line when the meaning of the story is stated. As good stories & metaphors often are, the meaning is too rich and the possibilities for application too many to be well served by a single statement.
I became aware of this book too late to use this season, but it's on my list for next year. I also want to check on the video version The Resource Center for Churches has.
Finally, thank you Patty for keeping children's ministry in mind, for lending me your book and for making me aware of such a delightful story.
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