A Tree for Peter

by Kate Seredy

No one had ever seen big Peter before, and no one ever saw him again, and no one ever saw him at all but small Peter who lived in dingy, squalid old Shantytown. Yet it was big Peter's gift to small Peter -- a shiny toy spade with a red handle, and a small green tree lighted with tiny candles -- that caused Shantytown people to have hope again. And with new hope the grass grew, and there were gardens, and the junk heaps were cleaned up and the sagging doors were put back on their hinges.

This is a modern miracle, through which sad and beaten houses became white and neat and shining, and desolate, hopeless people found that love and hope can still move mountains. There are no saints and angels; just a tramp, an Irish cop, a small boy, and City Hall, but Shanytown becomes Peter's Landing and faith was reborn.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Childrens, Classics, Picture Books, Juvenile, Historical Fiction

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Seredy (Serédy Kató) was a gifted writer and illustrator, born in Hungary, who moved to the United States in 1922.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.

Reviews

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading:

I thought a book that I loved and that is one that a book group I belong to is soon to discuss would be the right thing for me as I sat home alone today and contemplated the year just passed and what comes next. Turns out this was the perfect choice. I need to work to find that Sunday feeling in my heart and life. I also needed the reminder that God does not give us the end product of what we plead for, he gives us a tool and then we can go to work on getting it for ourselves. I need to be on the lookout for tools in the coming months. Not sure what is more wonderful in this one, the words or her gorgeous illustrations. Love it all. A few more quotes to add to the one I offered below in my previous review...

"You see, Prince Peter," said Peter the tramp, with a smile, "we didn't run from this shadow and we found that it was nothing but a homeless dog wanting a little kindness."
Peter thought this over and found it was true. The discovery gave him a light, bubbly feeling inside. It was his Sunday feeling: a funny little tickle that made him want to sing and laugh.
The Sunday feeling did not leave. Not even when, at sundown, his friend went away. The Sunday feeling stayed because Mr. Peter had promised to come again.

"There, leaning against the stove, was the spade. It was shiny new, with a red handle: Peter's hands closed around it. It felt good, all clean and new; it had a good smell of wood and paint and it was beautiful. It was the first new thing Peter had ever had. He hugged it. Something very good was happening to him again, way inside; and again he had no words for it. Years later he knew that the little red spade had been a tool to the boy Peter, a toy to the child he was; it was a sword to fight ugliness with...but at the moment it was only a shiny spade, clean, unused, all his own....And right there the magic began..."

"Peter was singing. It was not just a song; it was the Sunday feeling called happiness coming out loud, as loud as he could shout."

"All we can do, small Peter, is to plant a tree and wait."

"Visions of a real garden that would fill the yard with green and blooming things began to grow in their hearts. They saw themselves and the ones they loved in a dream garden and they smiled at what they saw. Each one had a dream and each one thought he was the only one who dared to dream of happiness and beauty in Shantytown. But spring and the sun can see growing things even if they are dreams hidden in people's hearts. And maybe the sun said to spring: 'You get them into the yard all together and I will coax those dreams out of their hearts.'"

"The rest of the yard was spaded up and raked; it lay like a smooth brown carpet between the houses. Slow, as May went by, brown turned into green, studded with yellow stars. The yellow stars were dandelions - only weeds to those whose eyes are spoiled by too much beauty, but stars to Peter and the others in Shantytown."

First reading:

This was supposed to be a Christmas read that I didn't get to in time for the holidays and I am rather grateful that I didn't. I needed it now. With a country/world going mad around me, this was the balm in Gilead that I needed today, it filled me with the "Sunday feeling". I would encourage everyone to try and get your hands on this one and read it for the hope and lessons it offers in how we should treat each other and how a little bit of beauty can spread and cover the whole earth if we would allow it. I have seen other reviews of this book that discard it and speak of it being too farfetched but I don't believe that, I believe in everything the book has to offer. I cannot remember who recommended this to me, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here is a paragraph to give you a taste:

"Peter's heart was bursting with the Sunday feeling. He had no words to go with the way he felt; all the words he knew seemed dull and gray. The Sunday feeling was bright as the sunshine and sharp as the little waves around the boat. It would not stay down but spread into Peter's cheeks, making them pink and hot; it crept into his eyes, making them shine like stars, and finally it burst out into a laughing sentence: 'The sun is dancing inside me, Mr. Peter!'"

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. The format, that of a fat picture-book, shows off Seredy's enchanting artwork. And the story is ever so heartwarming. If you're lucky enough to get a chance to read this, don't be a cynic, but just enjoy.
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A reread reinforces my appreciation for this gem. I do, naturally, feel my cynical side pushing to diss the book... but if we're not optimistic, if we don't even *try* for community spirit and brotherliness, then of course we won't succeed. Between books like this and the new-to-me IRL social media of Nextdoor.com, I feel that we *can* make the world a better place, little by little.
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Third read. Highly recommended. Get your library to buy this classic. It's got perfect Christian messages... but I'm an atheist and I still love it, and I believe anyone could if they open their hearts.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I have to say that if you have not seen Kate Seredy's art, you should try to do that. Find a copy of The Chestry Oak, or more especially The Tenement Tree or A Tree for Peter at your library and even if you don't read the book, look at the pictures. They are a real treat! Beautiful, beautiful black and white drawings that make people and creatures come to life.

Next, this book was a great read. I think I enjoyed this more having just read "Gizelle, Save the Children." Both speak deeply of hope which cannot be squelched. Even in terrible conditions, there is always hope and sometimes unlikely heroes that make that hope shine through.

I find Kate Seredy's works to be deeply spiritual as well and love that layer of her work.

Find this book and read how little lame Peter, living in Shantytown finds some wonderful friends who help him overcome his fears and guide him to be who he was meant to be!

Reminds me of this poem recently pointed out on Michelle's blog:

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard; 5
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I ’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea; 10
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story!! This might be one of my new favorite children's books ever! Definitely the kind I want on my children's bookshelf to be read and reread. Truly a treasure! It is very hard to find wholesome books for the 5-8 range that will both entertain and inspire. I can't even think of any others to compare it to. I just love it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that popped up on Goodreads's recommendations and I somehow missed it as a kid. After looking it up on Amazon I figured out why - it's been out of print for ages and used copies are selling for hundreds of dollars (btw - if you have a copy - take good care of it!).

I also found and read a story about a woman who contacted publishers to see if she could get them re-interested in the book- they all turned it down saying it was 'too old' and 'too dated' and 'too Christian' - now, lord knows I am NOT religious, but a good book is a good book, and this is a good book. I will say, however, that as a somewhat cynical adult, it didn't have the same impact on me as it would have had had I read it as a child.

It's sweet, compassionate, and the sort of book you'll want to make sure your kids have read. It has a social consciousness about it and I'm sure that if young minds read it, especially wealthy, born in the 'right neighborhood' minds - they won't look at the 'wrong side of the tracks' part of town the same way again.

If you can find a copy - read it, it's worth it, and it takes less than an hour (oh - and Seredy's illustrations are 'classic American' kind of priceless eye candy). I got my copy from the library and mourn the day I have to return it for several reasons, the least of which is that this 1963 edition is worth almost $700.

[Christine Kallner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I somehow I stumbled across this one a few months ago and tucked it away for December.

I had no idea this book used to be hard-to-find because the reprint is now so readily available from the wonderful small publisher Purple House Press — which is fantastic because now more people will be able to experience this book!

It is a short illustrated novel and what a lovely story. It’s my first by Newbery author Kate Seredy, but definitely won’t be my last. In fact, I have four more waiting for me on my shelves! I’d love to read them all for #theunreadshelfproject2020 📚📚📚

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous. Simply marvelous. An absolute gift.

[Sherry Elmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic story beautifully told.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud with my kids. We all enjoyed the sweet story.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A darling little story about looking deeper than poverty. It wraps up a little too neatly, perhaps, but it was still a gem.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars: This story has some beautiful messages: that one person showing kindness or improving the world around them can lead to others doing the same, or that nature can change people’s hearts, or seeing injustice can motivate you to change things. There was a lot to like.

However, for me personally, the story and writing just stepped over that line from moving to mawkish. Everything works out perfectly, everyone is good. It was too sentimental for me and didn’t feel like reality.

I also felt pretty uncomfortable that little kid Peter just went off with this older stranger and didn’t tell his mother, instead actively keeping the secret from her. It’s implied this stranger is supposed to be Jesus or angelic, but it made me really uncomfortable. It’s easy to say this was written in a more innocent time and that kind of thing didn’t happen back then, but it did. We just hear about it more now. So at the very least, it opened up a conversation about not going off with people you don’t know and keeping secrets from parents.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Seredy's best. Like her other wartime publications, this one has that abundance of optimism and community spirit that now seems far-fetched. Maybe it was far-fetched then, too, but we did end up winning the war. I'm not sure why so many characters needed to have the same initial: two Peters (one nicknamed Peanut), patrolman Pat, the dog Pal - what is the point? Illustrations are lovely, as usual.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story about how the small and simple things can change lives and even communities.

Peter is a young boy with a lame foot. He lives in what is called Shantytown. The houses are falling apart. Everything is ugly. There is s sense of desperation about the place and the people. One day, as he stands in the rain watching the train go by, he connects with another young boy through a smile and a wave. This encounter changes both of their lives. As men, they each become builders of what is good and beautiful. When they finally meet again, the full story of Shantytown is shared.

I love that so much of the change stems from small things; a friendly tramp, a patch of grass, a tiny Christmas, a carol begun spontaneously by one of the residents. The story highlights the importance of beauty, however small, to lift the spirit and inspire an upward reach. Miracles happen, the kind of miracles that we can each be a part of.

This is the first time I have read this author. I will be looking for more of her work. The illustrations by the author throughout the book are lovely.
I will be rereading this tender tale over and over again.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

As a child, Thomas Crandall sees from the window of a train a shantytown, and standing in it, a young boy who smiles and waves at him. The image of the boy makes such an impact on Thomas that it inspires him, as an adult, to become a builder and work to change the living conditions of those who live in such abject poverty. When he has the opportunity to meet Peter Marsh, a builder known for transforming the shantytown into a place called Peter's Landing, Thomas asks him about the shantytown, and the boy. A Tree for Peter is the story Peter Marsh tells him, of how a young boy with a physical disability (Peter) and a mysterious vagrant (King Peter) take the first steps toward transforming a depressed and fearful community into a place of joy and love.

This is a book which is intentionally sentimental and inspirational, so had it not been written by Kate Seredy, and had my husband not asked me to read it aloud to him, I might very well have skipped it. I usually feel that books like this try to manipulate the reader into having particular emotional reactions, rather than allowing the reader to have natural responses, and it irritates me when their happy endings feel too neatly resolved. Unlike contemporary examples of this type of book, however, A Tree for Peter is so well-written that the author does not have to manipulate me into the feelings she would like me to experience. She takes me there by her words - and pictures - alone.

The descriptions of Peter's lonely days in the shantytown alone while his mother works are very vivid, as are the moments he spends with King Peter, the vagrant who shares his name. Peter's problems are very real - at first, they seem nearly insurmountable - and Seredy doesn't take an easy way out in resolving them. Though King Peter is something of a magical figure in Peter's life, his overall influence on the shantytown is only made possible through Peter's hard work and faith in him, and the willingness of the community to set aside their fears and come together. The reader always has the sense that the story will end happily for everyone, but there are enough questions about how it will happen to keep him or her interested in continuing to read.

The illustrations, too, are appealing, at least to my adult sensibilities. As a kid, I probably would have glossed over them, but as an adult, I appreciate the story each one tells, and how full of emotion the figures' faces are. These are works of art, not just decorations for the story, and they help elevate the book a bit more beyond the usual sentimentality of stories of this type.

This slim novella can be read easily in one sitting, and because of its connections to Christmas, and its explicit religious references, it makes a nice read-aloud selection for Advent. It's also a great way to help kids develop empathy for those in difficult financial situations and living conditions, and to encourage them to think of ways they can be more like King Peter in their interactions with others.

[Inhabiting Books]

Peter is little, lame, fatherless, poor and "afraid of many things." His mother has to work every day in the city and he spends his week alone and frightened, living for Sunday, her day off. They live in Shantytown, an area of old abandoned houses that the poorest of the poor are squatting in as they try to eke out a meager living: it is a people and a place without hope. Until one day, small Peter meets Peter King, an old tramp who befriends him and teaches him to stop being fearful of life. As his outlook changes, he starts making friends, first with a mangy dog, and then with the Irish cop whose beat includes Shantytown. As he changes, he starts changing the world around him, little by little. From Peter King's kindness, a chain of events builds and transforms Small Peter and all the people of Shantytown.

I loved this story. Loved it. I felt so helpless and depressed as I read about Peter being left alone day after day in those squalid conditions by a mother who clearly hated it as much as he did, but didn't have any other option. And I rejoiced when he found a kind heart to teach him to live beyond those fears.

People of today might read the story and see only the unrealistic aspects compared to our own day: children left alone day after day without state interference; a friendship with a vagrant who turns out to be kind rather than deranged. But for me as a modern reader, I think this story still has bearing, and I appreciate the hope that drives the story, the inherent innocence of it, and the author's assumption that people are basically good and -more importantly- that one person can make a difference in the lives of others.

Kate Seredy's beautiful, detailed, sepia illustrations accompany her amazing story, and set the tone.

One of our family's very favorite stories, despite its religious undertones, which go right over my children's heads. This makes a great read-aloud anytime, but especially at Christmas. (If you can get through it without weeping.)

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. I started reading this book out loud to my son yesterday for his nap and then today after I read to him before his nap I took the book with me and finished it within the next hour (it's a super easy read). I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
I love that it highlights hope and the difference each one of us can make, even if our efforts seem small and insignificant - combined they truly can be great things, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" comes to mind.

[The Hofs · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have had this book on the shelf forever and it was the swine flu that finally allowed us to read it aloud. It is a very sweet Christmas story. The edition we read has gorgeous pictures which were delightful. The book is hard to find but a blessing for a family library.

[Ginger Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all loved this book. Sweet read aloud for December. My boys (14 & 10) especially enjoyed this and begged to finish it earlier than we’d planned. Comments from my kids:
‘Extremely sweet. Helps you appreciate the things you have.’

‘I would definitely recommend it and I will read it again.’

‘It is the best book that we have read.’

[Stacy Kooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful. Now I want to go see if the rest of her works are this lovely.

[Tess Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note to self- Sweet read for anytime, but especially good for Christmas. Recommended by RA.

[Mary Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely touching story. I found myself choked up reading it aloud to my children multiple times. I’m sure we will read this one several times in the years to come.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful Christmas read-aloud - poignant and tender.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story. Read it last year on my own. This time as a read aloud with my boys.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifuly poetic story that really comes alive with Kate Seredy's heartwarming illustrations.

"He brought the book she always kept by their bed. The pages were frayed around the edges from daily use, but the story the book contained would never grow old for Peter. She drew him to her lap and they bent their heads over the open pages. She read the story; he listened and then looked at the pictures. together they followed the life of the gentle Man; the life that began in a dark stable in Bethlehem on a Christmas Eve so long ago and ended on a cross. Peter knew the story by heart; he knew that the sad picture of the Man on the cross was not the end. Quickly, so he would not have to cry he turned the page and said: 'And now He is a King who lives in Heaven.'

'Yes, small Peter,' said his mother, smiling, 'but often He walks the earth to bring comfort to those who need Him.'

'Do...do I need Him?' asked Peter. She held him very close and there was a little sob in her voice when she said : "Oh, Peter...we both do...so much.'"

[SBF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many years ago, I read a chapter from this delightful book in an old school reader called "Wide Open Windows". (My parents collected old school readers from yard sales and used book stores, and I loved reading them). I hadn't thought about the story in years, then I was looking in the old reader for a completely different selection, when my eyes landed on "Kate Seredy" at the bottom of a page. "Wait," I thought, "Kate Seredy wrote this lovely story about small Peter and King Peter? Newbery Medal winner Kate Seredy, of Good Master and White Stag fame?" That set me off on a search to find the entire book, which fortunately came up right away after a quick search for the author's name and "Peter". This book was a joy to read, start to finish. It was wonderful to find out the rest of the story, to see Peter bring beauty and hope to Shantytown. Seredy writes beautiful prose, and she illustrated her own books, too. Don't miss this book!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars. Lovely book with Christian overtones that cynical me wants to disparage, but since I cried happy tears I shan't. It's a book with two stories, one of Tommy, and one of Pete (primary protagonist). Pete is a lame child living in a shantytown/slum with his widowed mother who works 6 days a week as a laundress. They're squatters like all those around them. One day Pete meets another Pete and his life changes. He makes friends with a stray dog and an Irish cop, O'Flanaghan. Older Pete leaves his a spade and lame Pete with the policeman's help clears the debris from a bit of land and they plant a small square of grass and some flower bulbs. At Christmas Pete the Elder leaves a tree decorated with candles. The light draws out the other inhabitants and they begin to transform the shantytown. I read this for my 2019 Reading Challenge.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dear friend who passed away April 2018, told me this was her favorite book of all time. She was an elementary school teacher for years. I finally got around to reading it and I think I get why it was one of her favorite books.

The artwork is lovely and the writing is very beautiful!

As a lot of the reviews said (paraphrase) "those reading the with cynical eyes of an adult might miss out on the magic of first experiencing this book as a child" and yes I get it. I can see that this book from a child's perspective would be very different.

For a while, I thought it might have been an allegory,and maybe it is, but it is basically about
1) a child shall lead them
2) Hope
3) Faith
4) Community Spirit!
A quick read that is worth reading!!

[Jan Priddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of a poor little boy who meets a tramp? a saint? Jesus? And whose faith and trust are repaid with a miracle. It is a charming Christian story lent to me by a neighbor, who loved her 1966 copy from childhood. I was a new teenager that year.

I had it straight through and I was both charmed and unfortunately aware of what today would be thought of an old man gathering a little boy inside his coat. Aside from Peter's mother, you would not know girls existed. It's what I recall from children's books when I wa a child. The world was populated by boys and men and horses, mothers and sisters, roughly in that order.

[Richard Koerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's book, or so I thought. It is a story by a Hungarian storyteller and a beautiful one at that. I bought a bunch of Kate Seredy's books after talking to a relative who is of Hungarian parentage, as am I, but closer to her roots. It is a beautifully written story and I am glad that I read it. I plan to read her other books as well as I would really like my grandchildren to read stories like this and have more of an appreciation for their background and culture. This was a wonderful read and one that I would highly recommend to a young person.

[Amy Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading “The Good Master” and wanting to read more of Kate Seredy, we tried this book. Our children (age 11 & 8) did not enjoy this book, nor did I. The illustrations are detailed. The story is well written and descriptive. But somehow I walked away not really liking it. Made us all feel sad in most of the book..? Or bittersweet. The “Sunday feeling” Peter describes is a deep and bubbling joy, but still didn’t overcome the major sad feeling we had from the story. Maybe I missed the point?... or it was just reading it during Covid-time.