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Pick A Celebration
Pick a Pine Tree: Midi Edition
A festive read-aloud brimming with all the joy and excitement of Christmastime -- beginning, of course, with picking out a tree!
Part of the magic of the Christmas season stems from the traditions that families and friends take part in every year: hanging up stockings; putting lights in the windows; and, one of the most important of all, picking out and taking home the Christmas tree. With style and warmth, debut author Patricia Toht and Jarvis, the author-illustrator of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth, evoke all the rituals of decorating the tree -- digging out boxes jam-packed with ornaments and tree trimmings, stringing tinsel, and, at long last, turning on those twinkling lights. Joyously drawn and rhythmically written, this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday season is as merry as the tradition it depicts.
Part of the magic of the Christmas season stems from the traditions that families and friends take part in every year: hanging up stockings; putting lights in the windows; and, one of the most important of all, picking out and taking home the Christmas tree. With style and warmth, debut author Patricia Toht and Jarvis, the author-illustrator of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth, evoke all the rituals of decorating the tree -- digging out boxes jam-packed with ornaments and tree trimmings, stringing tinsel, and, at long last, turning on those twinkling lights. Joyously drawn and rhythmically written, this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday season is as merry as the tradition it depicts.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2017
12 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Toht
13 books32 followersPatricia Toht once owned a children’s bookshop called Never Never Land before turning a love of books into a love of writing. Pick a Pine Tree is her debut picture book. Patricia Toht lives in Chicago, Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
December 16, 2018
This is a rhyming story for very young children about the holiday and putting up a tree for Christmas. The Artwork was colorful, very bright which I like, but the people look strange. It was ok. There was diversity here, a little. It is a simple story, not much here for adults reading.
The kids are a little old for this book and they thought it was ok. The nephew gave it 3 stars and the niece, who is hard on books she thinks are too ‘baby’ for her, gave it 2 stars. It’s a nice story and I appreciate the rhyme.
The kids are a little old for this book and they thought it was ok. The nephew gave it 3 stars and the niece, who is hard on books she thinks are too ‘baby’ for her, gave it 2 stars. It’s a nice story and I appreciate the rhyme.
December 14, 2021
An excellent book for young readers! This book made Christmas an exciting event for the whole family and even friends to celebrate together. I loved following the family in this story. They looked happy and excited. The boy ride the sled around the lot looking at different pine trees while his sister pulled him. The dog ran ahead. There were other families and kids looking at the trees too. I liked the different ways the trees can be brought home. Another family was shown to use the sled. I have never personally experienced with a real pine tree before. Reading this book definitely taught me how to take care of a pine tree from the lot to the house and all the way ’til Christmas. Though using reusable trees are much easier, but lacked the fresh scent of pine.
This book opened up to white snowflakes. Beautiful winter illustrations on the dedication/copyright page as well as title page of the book. Then the story began, following a family with two kids and a dog. They arrived at the pine tree lot. They looked around for a pine tree to buy. There were pine trees with many shapes and sizes for sale. The family then drove home with a pine tree secured on top of their car. At home they moved furnitures aside to make space for the tree. Then they prepared the tree by trimming the trunk before placing it on the stand to keep it upright. Then they watered the tree to keep its piney scent fresh. They brought out the decorations but before they put them up on the tree, they invited all of their friends for a decorating party. This story gave young readers a view into the process it took for a pine tree to transform itself into a Christmas Tree.
Pick a Pine Tree was well written and illustrated. I loved the illustrations starting from the first page. The winter wonderland with pine trees, deer, bunnies, fallen leaves, and white snow was beautiful. My toddler got to learn the names of many objects and animals in this story. I loved how the family worked together to set up the tree for decorations. I enjoyed the rhyming while reading this book. The author did a good job to include the decorations of the tree to the star above and the whole village below complete with train tracks! Young readers will be able to compare their decorating experiences when they read this story. The Christmas Tree at the end of the book was fantastic! I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book opened up to white snowflakes. Beautiful winter illustrations on the dedication/copyright page as well as title page of the book. Then the story began, following a family with two kids and a dog. They arrived at the pine tree lot. They looked around for a pine tree to buy. There were pine trees with many shapes and sizes for sale. The family then drove home with a pine tree secured on top of their car. At home they moved furnitures aside to make space for the tree. Then they prepared the tree by trimming the trunk before placing it on the stand to keep it upright. Then they watered the tree to keep its piney scent fresh. They brought out the decorations but before they put them up on the tree, they invited all of their friends for a decorating party. This story gave young readers a view into the process it took for a pine tree to transform itself into a Christmas Tree.
Pick a Pine Tree was well written and illustrated. I loved the illustrations starting from the first page. The winter wonderland with pine trees, deer, bunnies, fallen leaves, and white snow was beautiful. My toddler got to learn the names of many objects and animals in this story. I loved how the family worked together to set up the tree for decorations. I enjoyed the rhyming while reading this book. The author did a good job to include the decorations of the tree to the star above and the whole village below complete with train tracks! Young readers will be able to compare their decorating experiences when they read this story. The Christmas Tree at the end of the book was fantastic! I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
December 2, 2022
This is the first of a number of children's Christmas books I've picked up to enjoy this Advent.
Hanging up stockings, putting lights in the windows or even painting on the windows themselves, arranging fir branches, not to mention drinking hot chocolate or punsch / mulled wine, munching on gingerbread and other delicacies ... it's all part of getting excited.
One of the first things many people do every Advent / December / Christmastime, is picking a Christmas tree. Personally, I put mine up on the 1st Advent or the Saturday before that. No, I don't care about it shedding needles, I want to enjoy it the entire Advent.
In this rhyming book, it's all about going to the market, finding the perfect tree and taking it home. So how do people pick "the perfect tree"? Read the book and find out!
It's also about all the other afore-mentioned traditions and make you warm and fuzzy.
As you can imagine, the book is meant to inspire the nostalgic Christmas cheer and coziness we all try to invoke this time of year. And it actually managed to convey the joy quite well. The illustrations probably help since they are cute as a button:
Quite a light but nice little book for reading to young children or to enjoy as an adult to kickstart that nostalgia I was talking about.
Hanging up stockings, putting lights in the windows or even painting on the windows themselves, arranging fir branches, not to mention drinking hot chocolate or punsch / mulled wine, munching on gingerbread and other delicacies ... it's all part of getting excited.
One of the first things many people do every Advent / December / Christmastime, is picking a Christmas tree. Personally, I put mine up on the 1st Advent or the Saturday before that. No, I don't care about it shedding needles, I want to enjoy it the entire Advent.
In this rhyming book, it's all about going to the market, finding the perfect tree and taking it home. So how do people pick "the perfect tree"? Read the book and find out!
It's also about all the other afore-mentioned traditions and make you warm and fuzzy.
As you can imagine, the book is meant to inspire the nostalgic Christmas cheer and coziness we all try to invoke this time of year. And it actually managed to convey the joy quite well. The illustrations probably help since they are cute as a button:
Quite a light but nice little book for reading to young children or to enjoy as an adult to kickstart that nostalgia I was talking about.
November 14, 2017
Book reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Pick a Pine Tree is about a family going to choose their Christmas tree. From taking it home, choosing where to put it, which decorations to put on it, to then putting it up for the Christmas holiday’s and enjoying it. The book covers everything that goes into getting that perfect tree.
Whether it is just me, but where I live, although there are places to go and choose a real pine tree (local ones are normally in pub car parks), they are nothing like what you see in the American Movies. Most people that I know (myself included) have an artificial tree which they get down from the loft each year. I’ve also never heard of decorating parties.
That being said, just because the book, to me, is very Americanised, it doesn’t lessen the enjoyment any, it actually heightens it, as it’s lovely to see how other people celebrate Christmas, and a big part of that is the tree.
With its rhyming text that flows naturally, to the full page crayoned-look drawings on matt paper, the book is perfect for little children all excited about Christmas. They will most definitely love the final page as you get to see the finished tree in all its glory.
Pick a Pine Tree is about a family going to choose their Christmas tree. From taking it home, choosing where to put it, which decorations to put on it, to then putting it up for the Christmas holiday’s and enjoying it. The book covers everything that goes into getting that perfect tree.
Whether it is just me, but where I live, although there are places to go and choose a real pine tree (local ones are normally in pub car parks), they are nothing like what you see in the American Movies. Most people that I know (myself included) have an artificial tree which they get down from the loft each year. I’ve also never heard of decorating parties.
That being said, just because the book, to me, is very Americanised, it doesn’t lessen the enjoyment any, it actually heightens it, as it’s lovely to see how other people celebrate Christmas, and a big part of that is the tree.
With its rhyming text that flows naturally, to the full page crayoned-look drawings on matt paper, the book is perfect for little children all excited about Christmas. They will most definitely love the final page as you get to see the finished tree in all its glory.
December 30, 2021
This Christmassy picture book has some very lovely illustrations of the process of choosing a Christmas tree. From choosing a tree, bringing it home and decorating, the rhyming text and bright illustrations are entertaining and fun.
There's not much of a plot but it's a good description of this Christmas tradition.
There's not much of a plot but it's a good description of this Christmas tradition.
November 12, 2018
I really loved this book. It's a wonderful, whimsical tale of a family choosing a Christmas tree and bringing it home to decorate it. The illustrations are gorgeous, the rhyming is beautifully written and there's so much diversity depicted by the illustrator in the family and their friends. It's absolutely beautiful - everything about this book. It gets you in the right Christmas mood. It's also a perfect Christmas gift. I really enjoyed this.
December 2, 2017
This book does very little to justify its existence. There are a couple of attractive illustrations, but they are the exceptions. The text is dull.
December 25, 2020
The anticipatory excitement of picking out a Christmas tree, buying it, and taking it home to decorate is captured perfectly in this story about a family of four as they set off on their tree buying day. At home, the furniture is moved around, the trunk of the tree is trimmed to fit the stand, and the decorations are brought down from the attic. When everything is ready, the family hosts a decorating party, inviting all their friends to help trim the tree with bright lights, jolly Santas, dancing elves, paper dolls, all kinds of ornaments. Finally, it’s time for the crowning touch - a shiny golden star at the very top. The story is told in rhyme with spot on four line stanzas on each page describing every task that needs to be done for the spectacular finished tree that can be seen on a two page spread at the end. Jarvis’s simple pencil, chalk, and paint illustrations are done in a wintery palette outside, and a warm, cozy palette inside the house, and include diverse characters throughout. Pick a Pine Tree did make me a little nostalgic for my own childhood days a tree decorating, and for the days when my Kiddo was growing up and how she loved having a Christmas tree, but it was a good nostalgia. This is sure to become a yearly classic for many families.
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January 23, 2021Lovely aesthetic with rhymes that I don’t mind. A good read to remember for next year.
November 26, 2017
The cover of this bouncy little Christmas picture book sure is pretty! Literally wrapped up with a sparkly, red bow and featuring lush and lovely pine trees. When I first considered the cover, I thought it might be similar to a holiday favorite at my house, Night Tree by Eve Bunting(1994), in which a family "decorates" a tree in the woods with edible ornaments each Christmas season. Not so, this but it will still make for a solid Christmas favorite with it's jaunty rhyme and retro illustrations.
December 27, 2018
A charming read-aloud for Christmas about picking out and decorating a Christmas tree. I liked the bright stylized illustrations and the bouncy text. The human characters have skin of varying shades.
November 8, 2025
Love the art, love the rhyming. Also good vocab words to learn.
November 9, 2018
Beautiful, whimsical tale of a family choosing a Christmas tree, bringing it home, and decorating it. Just a side note, there is a lot of diversity depicted by the illustrator in the family and their friends and it is natural and beautiful and I just highly recommend it!
December 1, 2017
First sentence: Pick a pine tree from the lot--slim and tall or short and squat. One with spiky needle clumps, scaly bark, or sappy bumps. Long, straight limbs or branches bent--mmm! Just smell that piney scent!
Premise/plot: A family picks a pine tree and takes it home to decorate for the Christmas season. The story is told through rhyme.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I do NOT like real trees. In fact, the idea of being in the same room with a real tree is terrifying because I'm so allergic. But I do love this cheerful story. The family has so much fun. Even the pet cat gets involved. It's hard not to like this one.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
October 6, 2017
So Jarvis is totally going to be an illustrator I look out for, particularly for the spreads of turning out the lights and seeing the fully decorated tree. I had holiday cheer chills. Decorating the tree is an absolute favorite holiday task. It's something that I used to do with my grandma and something that I've always done with my family, only missing a time or two when I was out of town. So this book... this book is magic.
October 18, 2017
The romanticized version of putting of the Christmas Tree. I love this idea of going into the woods or tree lot to buy a tree, but wondered as I read how many people/families just go down into their basement and get their artificial tree out? I've done that for almost 30 years with the same artificial tree.
However, back to this book demonstrates the step by step way to put up a freshly cut tree - with friends is the most important thing. Lovely illustrations.
However, back to this book demonstrates the step by step way to put up a freshly cut tree - with friends is the most important thing. Lovely illustrations.
December 16, 2017
The text in this book is pretty generic, and some of the lines of verse are unmistakably awkward , but the illustrations are festive and attractive. Since we have an artificial tree, this was a fun way to introduce my kids to the experience of going out and choosing a tree without having to endure the allergy symptoms I would exhibit if I were to bring a real tree home myself.
December 7, 2017
With lyrical, rhyming text and lovely illustrations rendered in pencil, chalk, and paint and colored digitally, this awesome picture book celebrates the joy of picking the perfect tree and decorating it with friends and family. This is definitely a terrific book to have as part of a holiday collection to share with young readers.
November 19, 2017
Love this book! From the beautiful illustrations including a sparkly bow on the cover to the wonderfully written rhyming text, I thoroughly enjoyed this family's trip to pick out a pine tree for Christmas. Perfect gift for the holiday season (or as a gift to your child's school library)!!
December 3, 2018
Perfect Christmas book to celebrate the ritual of decorating your home and Christmas tree. Lovely rhyming text and warm whimsical illustrations. Can’t wait to read this to my boys before we pick our tree.
December 15, 2024
4* - An ode to the wonder of the live Christmas tree. (I must admit that I'm a wee bit concerned about the state of my childlike Christmas spirit since my first thought upon closing this book was "Man, that's
a lot
of work." 😂🎄
October 3, 2017
lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove
October 11, 2017
From the shiny ribbon on the cover to the warm last page, this read will make your Christmas glow.
January 28, 2018
practically a how to guide for Christmas trees - rhyming text and delightful illustrations make it a must for holiday collections.
December 20, 2020
I was delightfully surprised with this. I liked everything about it, the illustrations, the writing, rhyming, and subject. It perfectly captured the entire process of a Christmas tree from picking it out at the tree lot to decorating it and lighting it. It covered all the bases and it's something we can all relate to. I loved how the title and text mentioned picking a pine tree and how it sounds so simple and ordinary, but then it turns into a Christmas tree, something so magical.
I love the cover with the shiny title and the ribbon. The illustrations are adorable and colorful. I don't know what style it is, but I like it. At first I didn't like it because I thought it was too simple and not detailed enough, kind of arts and crafty like cut-out paper shapes pasted together to form the objects, but it really grew on me. I liked the inside covers with the blue pages and white snowflakes all over. The pages are so colorful and there are so many things to look at that I just wanted to stare at them and take it all in.
The writing took a little while to take off. At first it was pretty mundane and mentioned putting the tree on your car if you don't live nearby, and tightening the screws, and I was like oh no, please don't go through every little boring particular here. But when it got to watering the tree, I was hooked. "Fill with water to the brink. Give your thirsty tree a drink!" I loved that! It's so cute!
Then she mentioned getting the trimmings out of various types of storage, like boxes, tins, bags, and cases. So true!
She said to call people on the phone and ask your friends to stay for a decorating day. That's the thing that didn't fit to me, because I would never invite anyone else to decorate my tree, especially just friends. But I guess it fit in with rhyming or something.
I really liked when it got to hanging ornaments and asked "What kind of trinkets will they be? Jolly Santas. Dancing elves. Wooden reindeer. Jingle bells. Lacy snowflakes. Paper dolls. Candy canes and bright glass balls. With loops of thread or wire hooks, hang them all in little nooks." I loved that! She hit all the high points. I thought it was so thoughtful and thorough to mention ornaments hanging on wire hooks or loops. She thought of everything.
She wrote "It's not a pine tree anymore. It's a . . . Christmas tree!" I liked how you had to turn the page vertical because the tree took up both pages. The tree was fully decorated and had transformed from a plain pine tree in a lot to a beautifully decorated piece of art.
The last page showed shades of blue and black at night, with the house all lit up and the sleigh and reindeer on the roof, with Rudolf leading and Santa inside. He wore a red suit, there was a red heart on the door, and Rudolf's nose was red, but other than that it was blue, black, and white and made such a nice image.
I really enjoyed reading this and would read it again. Well-written, pretty illustrations, and overall a good story.
I love the cover with the shiny title and the ribbon. The illustrations are adorable and colorful. I don't know what style it is, but I like it. At first I didn't like it because I thought it was too simple and not detailed enough, kind of arts and crafty like cut-out paper shapes pasted together to form the objects, but it really grew on me. I liked the inside covers with the blue pages and white snowflakes all over. The pages are so colorful and there are so many things to look at that I just wanted to stare at them and take it all in.
The writing took a little while to take off. At first it was pretty mundane and mentioned putting the tree on your car if you don't live nearby, and tightening the screws, and I was like oh no, please don't go through every little boring particular here. But when it got to watering the tree, I was hooked. "Fill with water to the brink. Give your thirsty tree a drink!" I loved that! It's so cute!
Then she mentioned getting the trimmings out of various types of storage, like boxes, tins, bags, and cases. So true!
She said to call people on the phone and ask your friends to stay for a decorating day. That's the thing that didn't fit to me, because I would never invite anyone else to decorate my tree, especially just friends. But I guess it fit in with rhyming or something.
I really liked when it got to hanging ornaments and asked "What kind of trinkets will they be? Jolly Santas. Dancing elves. Wooden reindeer. Jingle bells. Lacy snowflakes. Paper dolls. Candy canes and bright glass balls. With loops of thread or wire hooks, hang them all in little nooks." I loved that! She hit all the high points. I thought it was so thoughtful and thorough to mention ornaments hanging on wire hooks or loops. She thought of everything.
She wrote "It's not a pine tree anymore. It's a . . . Christmas tree!" I liked how you had to turn the page vertical because the tree took up both pages. The tree was fully decorated and had transformed from a plain pine tree in a lot to a beautifully decorated piece of art.
The last page showed shades of blue and black at night, with the house all lit up and the sleigh and reindeer on the roof, with Rudolf leading and Santa inside. He wore a red suit, there was a red heart on the door, and Rudolf's nose was red, but other than that it was blue, black, and white and made such a nice image.
I really enjoyed reading this and would read it again. Well-written, pretty illustrations, and overall a good story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2025
A comforting rhyming picture book about the process of setting up a Christmas tree from choosing one from a tree lot to gathering around the decorated tree to sing. It describes the step-by-step process such as putting it on top of your car to get it home, trimming the truck, giving it water, decorating with tinsel, garland, lights, ornaments and more. About a third of the book deals specifically with live trees; however, the rest of the book would be applicable to decorating artificial trees. A good book to share before setting up a Christmas tree!
"But wait . . . don't decorate alone!
Call some people on the phone.
Ask your friends
to come and stay --
host a decorating day!"
"But wait . . . don't decorate alone!
Call some people on the phone.
Ask your friends
to come and stay --
host a decorating day!"
January 16, 2019
What's not to love about a book about pine trees getting picked for an important job. Lovely illustrations.
October 10, 2019
I think children in KS1 and KS2 would enjoy this book when the festive season is coming up. It really gets you in the Christmas spirit. Firstly, it includes references to the senses, helping children to imagine. I particularly enjoyed the references to the different characteristics of a tree which could lead to discussions based on the seasons and different types of trees. Mostly, i hope this book gets children excited for Christmas.
November 27, 2019
The illustrations are everything! <3
November 30, 2020
Quite joyful to read and the artwork is amazing! It would be the perfect book to read aloud to children. I loved the surprise at the end. Lighthearted and happy. Definitely a keeper and a re-read for Christmas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews