The Angel Tree

Old Cyrus McCafferty brings Christmas to life in the small town of Bordenville where he opens his house every year to the children, but one year after he moves and the house is dark, they create their own holiday miracle in his honor.

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, old Mr. McCafferty invites the children of Bordenville into his home for a party and to decorate a huge Christmas spruce. Young Jake, in particular, cherishes these gatherings and is fond of a crystal globe ornament that holds a tiny tree. His father always buys a Christmas tree, too, but it's usually the last one in the lot on Christmas Eve. Year after year, the holiday rituals repeat themselves until Mr. McCafferty moves away. Jake writes a note to tell the man how much the town will miss him, and magical things begin to happen. Jake and his dad end up with the huge Norway spruce that was intended for Mr. McCafferty, but it is too large to fit in their house and must be left outdoors until Christmas morning. During the night, Jake is awakened by caroling choirs of angels who adorn the boughs with crystal decorations. In the morning, the boy finds his father setting up the cut-down-to-size bare tree in the living room and a package from Mr. McCafferty containing the crystal globe on the doorstep. The illustrations, done in pastels on dark gray pastel paper, greatly reinforce the mood of the story. All in all, an amiable tale.?MMH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-8. Every year kind, elderly Cyrus McCafferty buys the biggest spruce from the lot near Jake's house and invites all the children in town to his beautiful home to decorate the tree. One year, however, the big spruce remains in the lot, and the McCafferty house is dark. Jake fears the worst but is relieved to learn that Mr. McCafferty has moved to his sister's Indiana home. On Christmas Eve, Jake and his father buy the giant spruce, which is so big the trunk will have to be cut to fit through the door, a task that Jake's father says must wait until morning. That night, in a beautifully done, dreamlike sequence, Jake is beckoned to his bedroom window by a chorus of angels singing carols and decorating the tree. He recognizes Mr. McCafferty's old cook and also another angel whose familiar smile belongs to the "woman who looked like me in the photograph on my father's dresser." McAllister's striking pastel paintings create a magical atmosphere that nicely complements this enchanting holiday story. Lauren Peterson