A charming story of a family on a farm, with a special relationship with their old apple tree. The tree provides not just fruit but a shade for the animals, a place to play and a place to draw and think.
The family lives simply and contented, but what happens when they lose what little they had? ( )

Katrina, her younger sister Josie, and her mother and father all love the apple tree that stands near their home in this lovely Christmas picture-book, set on a Michigan farm in the 1880s. Josie enjoys the swing attached to the tree, Katrina loves the spot in its branches where she likes to sit and draw, and they all appreciate the fruit it produces. When a terrible blizzard destroys the tree, Katrina is distraught, and cannot understand her father's seeming indifference, as he chops up her arboreal friend for firewood. On Christmas Day however, she discovers that her father understands her loss more than she realized, when Josie's swing is brought inside for her to enjoy, and she herself is given a drawing board made from the tree's wood...

Originally published in 1984, and then reprinted in this edition from 2005, Apple Tree Christmas is a beautiful work of picture-book historical fiction, one that is apparently inspired by author/illustrator Trinka Hakes Noble's own childhood on a southern Michigan farm. The story itself is engaging, sensitively highlighting its main character's attachment to the eponymous apple tree, as well as the loving bonds between the members of her family, while the accompanying artwork has a rustic charm that captures the wintry beauty around them. I thought it was very interesting that Katrina and her family are living in the barn, until her father can finish their farmhouse, and suspect that this detail would have charmed me quite a bit, if I had read this first as a girl. I thank my friend Kathryn for recommending this, as I found it quite enjoyable, and I would in turn recommend it to picture-book readers looking for charming Christmas tales, particularly ones with a historical setting. ( )

Read on Open Library. Thanks to Kathryn!

This is a text heavy picture book.

This is a lovely story. This is my favorite kind of Christmas story: heartwarming, simple, secular, with nature included, and with a sweet ending. The ending was perfect. I love this family. Very sweet but not overly so. It’s a realistic story. I was deeply touched by the love shown in this family and the Christmas gifts they exchanged, especially the ones made for the daughters.

My only quibble, and I don’t expect many to share it, is the farmed animals. Yes, these are one family farmed animals well cared for and not factory farmed one, but they do have a cow to milk and yet no calf is in sight so a half star off from me. 4-1/2 stars.

Lovely illustrations! They’re so much fun to view and I just love their style. There are so many wonderful details.

This is a perfect book to read around Christmas and the winter holidays. Great for all ages as long as the youngest people are ready to sit for a real story and not just a few words with mostly pictures. I’d say for many families this would be a good one to own so it would be easy to reread. Reading this every year would be a fine Christmas tradition. ( )

Josie and Katrina are young girls living in the late 1800s. They live in a barn with their family and outside stands an old apple tree. The Christmas is almost ruined by an ice storm and the little girls are forced to deal with the loss of something beloved. This book is a wonderful way to relate farming to a holiday season. The story is beautiful, the illustrations are clear and well done.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: Intermediate

A book spilling over with delightful things--the family, the tree, the holiday. A father goes to great lengths to make his daughters happy. Touching. ( )