Colleen Monroe

A favorite little boy in my neighborhood recently turned six years old. The area where we live in Pennsylvania, mandated that school classes are taught on line. While I agree, I am saddened because there are no little play mates in our neighborhood, and thus, his father is his favorite play mate.

But, I hoped that he would be able to interact with others and that non-virtual school would provide the social skills so importantly needed.

I vow to read illustrated books to him every week, and we practice learning numbers of objects and the lower and upper case of words.

Yesterday, we read A Wish To Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

This is a lovely story of a small tree who each year hopes that he will be picked by a family to be their Christmas Tree. As years and years go by and he is still at the tree farm, he he sad and frustrated.

Shedding tears that turn to ice, his wood land friend the squirrel tells him to take heart and not to fear for so many of the woodland creatures find him so very dear.

Led by the squirrel his woodland friends surprise him one night and gather berries and beautiful items from the woods to be used to decorate him. The animals, including the small deer thank him for providing the dried materials from cones which provide him a warm bed. The cardinal thanks him for the branches wherein he can find shelter from the storms and protect him from the wind.

Each year, as the tree grows taller and taller, the animals continue to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. Now, the tears are those of joy.… (mere)