The Trees Kneel at Christmas

by Maud Hart Lovelace

After Grandmother explains why the trees in Lebanon kneel at Christmas, Afify and Hanna hope to witness a similar miracle in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. A timeless classic by Maud Hart Lovelace -- author of the Betsy-Tacy series -- about a miracle on Christmas morning.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Picture Books, Christian

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Maud Hart Lovelace was an American writer best known for the beloved Betsy-Tacy series, which has remained a cornerstone of American children’s literature for generations. Born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, she began writing at an early age and showed literary promise while still in high school. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she worked for the Minnesota Daily, and sold her first short story while recuperating in California, marking the start of her professional career. Lovelace initially wrote historical novels for adults, including The Black Angels and the successful Early Candlelight, before turning to children’s fiction inspired by stories she told her daughter. Beginning in the late 1930s, she created the Betsy-Tacy books, drawing heavily on her own childhood and friendships. Set largely in the fictional town of Deep Valley, the series follows its heroine from early childhood into adulthood, with the books gradually increasing in complexity alongside their readers. Lovelace also wrote several related Deep Valley novels featuring the same community. Her work was praised for its warmth, authenticity, and vivid sense of place, securing her lasting influence in American literary culture.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small gem of a story! I love the Lebanese traditions and the faith of the children that inspires the faith of the elders.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Faith is believing. It is knowing that God, Our Creator, can do anything." This charming Maud Hart Lovelace tale is is based on the little colony of Lebanese immigrants on the outskirts of Mankato, Minnesota, referenced in her beloved Betsy-Tacy series and is dedicated to Public School 77 in Brooklyn, New York, from which the title for this story was born. During her research for another book, one of the grandmothers told Maud that in Lebanon, the trees kneel at Christmas. On August 23, Maud's diary entry read, "Decided today to write The Trees Kneel at Christmas. The theme is faith, and I have faith that I can write it, although I don't know yet the characters, setting or plot." Driving home from a Maronite Midnight Mass on Christmas morning with the trees bowed down with snow, "my prayers were answered. The Trees Kneel at Christmas came to me just as I wanted to write it." This charmingly illustrated story of a Lebanese American immigrant family is as timeless and relevant when it was originally written in the 1950s as it is today. God chose to send His Son to a refugee family with no room at the inn who would flee to another country due to threat to their lives. God chose the marginalized as the conduit for salvation. In the words of Uncle Elias, "Who am I to question how God chooses to perform His miracles?"

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely beautiful story!
Lovelace bases her story on some traditional legends from Lebanon.
She interweaves them into her story of a Lebanese (then Syrian) family living in Little Syria in Brooklyn and the blending of old traditions with some new American ones -- and a Christmas miracle.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet but also very simplistic.

[Clare Craigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, simple story. I enjoyed all the references to Lebanon! A good reminder that the whole of creation bows in reverence to the babe born on Christmas Day.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I positively adore Lovelace's stories about Betsy and Tacy and Deep Valley. This one, while still sweet, didn't quite have the same style or pull as her other titles delivered.

Ages: 5 - 12

Cleanliness: the children believe in Santa Claus. Several of the men smoke the narghile (Syrian hookah) and she describes the smell and act as pleasurable - one paragraph. Mentions saints and angels in visions and the family are practicing Catholics, so pray to Mary and the saints and the mother makes a shrine. This story is based on a Syrian legend/superstition and involves angels, talking animals, trees that bend to God and holy water. The little boy doesn't think saints are much fun since they have to behave. A little boy sneaks out of bed for food, knowing he will not be scolded on Christmas Eve. Mentions that an uncle manufactures negligees. Someone says "heck."

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[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl from a Lebanese family living in Brooklyn somewhere around 1950. She is told a folktale by her relatives about how the trees in Lebanon kneel at midnight on Christmas Eve and she becomes determined to see for herself if this is true in Brooklyn as well. I loved the cultural aspects of the book, emphasizing the melting pot beauty of America in describing the Lebanese traditions and culture, and how this family intermingled that with the American ways. Unfortunately, the majority of this story feels like padding that surrounds the folktale and draws it out long enough to be a short book. My biggest issue with this book, however, is that due to the behavior depicted in it, this is ultimately a children's book that is not suitable for children.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book when looking for resources to use for our Sunday school class. The author wrote my beloved Betsy-Tacy-Tib books so I just had to read this one. It's a sweet story about Syrian Christmas traditions. It's a children's book, but I'm not sure I'd actually recommend it to children. (Spoiler alert--I'm going to reveal the end.) The climax of the story comes when 2 little kids (ages 7 and 4) go out all alone in Brooklyn late at night to walk several city blocks to a park. I'm not sure I'd want to plant that idea in munchkins' heads.

[Faith Elizabeth Hough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!
2nd read 2019: Read aloud this time, slowly, to savor each beautiful bit. I loved it even more than before. Golly, such good writing.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! It gives you a little insight into how another culture celebrates Christmas!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this charming holiday tale by Maud Hart Lovelace, the beloved author of the Betsy-Tacy book series.

Set in the Park Slope, Brooklyn neighborhood of the early 1950s, a young Lebanese-American girl and her little brother slip out to snowy Prospect Park late on Christmas Eve to see if the trees kneel in honor of the birth of Christ, after hearing a story told by their elderly grandmother and her brother about a miracle in their native Lebanon.

Rich descriptions of family life, food and folkways make a vivid, atmospheric impression. Delightful illustrations accent key moments.

Though this is a religious story of Christian faith, you don't have to be a Christian to appreciate it. It doesn't hurt, however, to be a Brooklynite in place or in spirit. It just makes it all the more enjoyable.

[Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story for Christmas. It captures the holiday traditions and tales of a Lebonese family living in Brooklyn in the 1950's. The characters are endearing, and the little girl's desire to see the trees kneeling at Christmas (as they do in Lebonon, according to Grandmother) is truly heartwarming. The story highlights the faith of a child in such a magical fashion, and honors the birth of Christ as the main focus of Christmas.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything but her Betsy-Tacy books, but this is a charmer I'd like to return to next Christmas. The warmth and love of this Lebanese family shines through, and it made me feel like I was in 1950s Brooklyn. Afify was a sweetheart, and I was overjoyed by her Christmas miracle.

As always, I wonder what Lebanese readers think of the story. From Merian's forward, it seems as though Maud properly held the babies and went into the kitchen, all thoroughly welcomed by the Lebanese families she met, so I hope for the best.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter book I shared with the baby, just him and me.
A lovely little book. By the author of Betsy-Tacy, it definitely has that feel to it but with a different setting, family, and culture. It feels well-researched, especially for the time in which it was written. Delightful Christmasy feel, a good holiday book.

[Jennifer Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Maud Hart Lovelace book (shocker, I know), and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The characters are sketched well for a children's book--three dimensional, but not so much detail to overwhelm young readers. The story is sweet, and I was enchanted by its message of reaffirming faith on Christmas Eve. A fun Christmas read.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story by the author of the Betsy Tacy books

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As another reviewer said, the story is delightful while the illustrations are not.

[Janssen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, but not one I'd run out to read again every year.

[Rachel {bibliopals} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a lot shorter and covered all the good sections. Lots of unnecessary bits.

[Monica Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of Christmas 🎄 and family traditions.

[Kathleen Vincenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! I'd worried that it wouldn't be on a par with her other books, such as Betsy, Tacy and Tib, but it was so thoughtful, rich in description, and in love with the American-Lebanese community in Brooklyn that I needn't worry. All great writers have empathy--Charles Dickens at the head of the list. Maud Hart Lovelace does too. She wrote a warm description of little Afify, her brother Hanna, and their parents, grandmother, and grand uncle. She showed their faith in action to build a new home and community in a place as foreign from Lebanon as Brooklyn.

I had placed the book on hold long ago and only received it now, and thought it was the wrong time to read it but it snowed today. My town is blanketed in a rich heavy spiritual snow just like in Afify's Brooklyn on Christmas Eve. All the trees knelt in Ann Arbor on March 1.

[Teresa Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about a Lebanese folktale that the trees in Lebanon kneel down at midnight on Christmas eve. Afify, an American girl of Lebanese descent and the main character, decides that if it can happen in Lebanon it surely could happen in Brooklyn and plots to go to the park at midnight to see for herself. I liked the book for its depiction of Lebanese culture. It describes the food, Christmas traditions and insights into Christianity in Lebanon. I think because it is an older book some kids are put off reading it but with good booktalks interest should pick up especially around the holidays.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The foreword of this book was written by Merian, the daughter of the author. The book was originally published in 1951. My copy was published in 1994. Love the colorful illustrations throughout this 112 pg book.

I loved this story of a Lebanese family in Brooklyn and the faith of a little girl to see something her grandmother had told her about. Very sweet Christmas story!

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovelace spent time with "Syrian" immigrants in the 1950s and from their stories wrote this tale of a little girl living in Brooklyn. Both the text and the illustrations tread in and out of "treacle" and at some points the illustrations appear pages before the texts. However, it is a nice story of faith and might make a good read-aloud tradition in some families.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A feel good story about a Christmas miracle. Those looking for a nonsecular Christmas story will enjoy this one about Afify and her faith traditions that she shares with her younger brother and extended family.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://libraryhospital.blogspot.com/2...

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maud Hart Lovelace really writes the most charming books. I adored this one. Simply adored it.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the spirit of this book. An interesting glimpse into the immigrant Lebanese culture of 1950.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful description in this story about a Lebanese family in Brooklyn and a folk tale from their culture.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B. children's book, grade 4, mid 20th century