The Fir-Tree

by Lilli Carré, Hans Christian Andersen

"The Fir Tree" by Hans Christian Andersen, published originally in 1845, follows the life of a young fir tree living in the woods (of all places). Compared to the other trees around him, he feels small, spindly and short, and he constantly utters complaint to any and all woodland creatures within ear shot. Most pointedly, he wonders "when will he truly be alive?" When he sees humans cut down some beautiful trees nearby and then drag them across the snow, he asks the swallows, "Where are they going?" In answer they tell him of all Christmas's splendor and beauty of which those lucky trees will soon be a part. Yet when the time comes for our little fir tree to have his turn, he's taught an unexpected and irreversible lesson. No one is better suited to adapt this sweet and sorrowful tale than Lilli Carre. Creator of The Tales of Woodland Pete and The Lagoon, her sensibility will graft beautifully over the antiquated yet quirky tale by the great master Hans Christian Andersen.

Genres: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Comics

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Lilli Carré is an artist and illustrator currently living in Chicago. She primarily works in the forms of experimental animation, comics, and print. Her animated films have shown in festivals throughout the US and abroad, including the Sundance Film Festival, and she is the co-founder of the Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation. Her books of comics are The Lagoon, Nine Ways to Disappear, Tales of Woodsman Pete, and a new collection of stories, Heads or Tails. Her work has appeared in The Believer Magazine, the New Yorker, The New York Times, Best American Comics and Best American Nonrequired Reading.

Source: Lilli Carré | ABOUT/CONTACT

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww, so sad :(

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never look at a Christmas tree the same way again.

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adaptation of the classic story started off well. It brought in new elements of nature to bring in more outdoor ed content. It also opened the ideas of not comparing yourself to others and being present rather than in the past or future.

The story takes a pretty dark turn away from the classic story and these new additional morals in the second half. There is some amount of self reflection by the tree and the it continues to be hopeful for the future and longing the past. Meanwhile, the rest of the world around the tree seem to stop engaging or admiring it once it is old. It mostly seems like the author had many different agendas going into this one and maybe could have edited it down a bit more to make it more firm.

I did enjoy the speech bubbles and illustrations.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story with delightful illustrations.

[Derek Emerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lilli Carre's adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Fir Tree" adds more than a splash of color to the trio. She also keeps very close to the text, which is too bad since the story of a short tree full of self pity sounds like just so much whinnying in today's world. Written over 160 years ago, Anderson's readers may have been more sympathetic than many of us to the "victim" format. But Carre takes Anderson at his word and her illustrations reflect his work with little comment. In fact, the book feels more like a picture book than a graphic novel as her simple, yet beautiful, illustrations reflect the text but stand alongside it rather than being involved. It is a lively book, but would benefit from having the illustrations frame the story.

[Blake Petit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read this short story as a child, but I wanted to get the graphic novel adaptation recently produced by Lilli Carre. Wow... I don't know what to say, except that this is one of the saddest Christmas stories I think I've ever read. I don't need every book I read to have a happy ending, but when you're pulling out the holiday tales, you kind of expect it. This one... did not do it for me.

[Jenny Hrabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but beautiful. Love Lillie Carre.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carre's artwork is beautiful and engaging, but the text did not particularly resonate with me.