A Porcupine in a Pine Tree

Canadian Christmas Carols

by Helaine Becker, Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)

This Canadian Christmas carol became an instant holiday classic. Enjoy all of Werner Zimmermann’s zany illustrations, count the characters from 1 to 12, and sing along. It’s Christmas as only Canadians can celebrate it — with squirrels curling, Mounties munching donuts, hockey players-a-leaping.... and A Porcupine in a Pine Tree!

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Canada, Holiday, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Helaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.

Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree is basically and simply a Canadian version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, humorous, delightfully Canuck, with caribous, moose, beavers and the like taking the place of the more familiar denizens of partridges, calling birds, leaping lords etc. (nothing spectacular about Helaine Becker's text, just a winsome adaptation, and while I would not call Werner Zimmermann's illustrations personal favourites, they do work well enough with the author's text, mirroring and complementing its joy, movement and sense of fun).

Now while most of the "Canadian" replacements are appreciated and do leave me smiling, I cannot help but feel rather majorly annoyed at and by the "ten Leafs a-leaping" (members of the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL team). The Toronto Maple Leafs are but ONE Canadian hockey team of many, and as an Albertan, Calgarian and thus a Calgary Flames fan, I kind of do resent the insinuation that the Toronto Maple Leafs, and by that extension, the city of Toronto itself, somehow represent Canadian hockey (especially since the Maple Leafs have not WON the Stanley Cup for decades). And really, why does Helaine Becker have to be so annoyingly specific here? She could just as easily have used words like "ten players scoring" and thus not have singled out one Canadian hockey team and one Canadian city for special consideration and appreciation (and also have more clearly shown the pan Canadian universality of hockey as a sport).

[Laima · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother is a grandma extraordinaire. Yesterday, she asked me to pick up some books for her little 3 year old neighbour, Mia, for Christmas presents. YES!! I was glad she asked ME since I love to review children's stories here on Goodreads. It's been years since I actually spent time in a children's section of a bookstore so I found myself in awe of all the amazing books on display.

This book is awesome!! A wonderful Canadian version of the twelve days of Christmas. Whether you are Canadian or not, this one is a winner. My nineteen year old son chuckled when we read it over together.

Here's the lowdown on the 12 days.....Canadian Style:

12 Cubs a-dancing
11 Puffins piping
10 Leafs a-leaping
9 Loons canoeing
8 Mounties munching
7 Sled dogs sledding
6 Squirrels curling
5 Stanley cups
4 Calling moose
3 Beaver Tails
2 Carbou
and 1 Porcupine in a pine tree

Oh, and by the way, in this book the Leafs are of the Toronto hockey player variety (and I don’t think the real ones will be a-leaping for a long, long time!!!)

Happy reading Mia!!!

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful story for the whole family. My children got into it from the first time we read (sang) it together. The illustrations are wonderful. The variety of poses for the items in the 12 days is awesome. Kids love the story and the illustrations. It was a great story to read as a family and one they have asked for numerous times this holiday season.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to make sure that everyone knows this book is really great and really funny. We bought it for our 2.5 yr-old son and he loved it! It would also be great for older children, who would understand it at another, deeper level. It makes us laugh A LOT and the illustrations by Guelph's own Werner Zimmerman are incredible!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun! Canadian version of an iconic song/story.

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3.5 year old son absolutely loves this book!! He actually knows the gift for each day better than I do and reminds me of the words when I forget.

What could get more Canadian than this? Loons canoeing, Mounties munching (on donuts), Squirrels curling, and my favourite...five Stanley Cups!

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake's Review: This book is really funny and the illustrations are even funnier. Now I understand why Mom was laughing so much when she read it. Even Jesse looked at some of the pictures without throwing it away. Why was there a picture with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Stanley Cup - Dad says there has never been a colour picture with the Leafs and the Cup (Mom's note: Must go slap Hab loving hubby upside the head). I don't think the Americans will find this all that funny, it's more a book for Canadians. That Helaine Becker is a fun lady, you sure she isn't a boy.

Jake's Rating: 10/10


Mom's Review: I truly cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book. If you are a Canadian you will enjoy this. I disagree with Jake, I think the American will like it too. It is chock full of stereotypical Canadian images that is obviously done tongue and cheek. Just plain silly and delightful. The illustrations are adorable and my only complaint is that I don't see a Tim Horton's roll up the rim cup in the illustrations-- now THAT is Canadian - well that and Beer, but it is a kids book. Now must go find my hubby and beat him up for all his snide comments about the Leafs.

Mom's Rating: 10/10


I won a copy of this from the Escape Through the Pages blog

[Ponytaorponyboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hahaha, this is funny, although I don't know how to sing it in French, so that's... tougher...
and the Hockey Players were Toronto Leafs, but I'm from Montreal, so I'm with the Canadiens!! But ok the book was really cute and funny, haha!

[Canda Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Canadian book. It's fantastic!

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Canadian stereotypes meet Christmas Caroling in a silly, illustrated holiday read-aloud (or sing-aloud). I don't blame kids for enjoying it, but "A Porcupine a Pine Tree" is one of those formulaic books that almost anyone in the world could have written.

I'm logging it now, but I'm sure I glanced through it 10-15 years ago, got the point immediately, kind of smiled, and then didn't bother finishing. The illustrations are quite charming, however!

Also not sure how well Mounties age as a cute Canadian stereotype now that we are basically all aware they were created for the purpose of genocide.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro baseado na música de natal Twelve Days of Christmas, mas com um toque canadiano 🍁

Entre um porco-espinho, caribus, puffins, Mounties e um leque de outros elementos tipicamente canadianos, foi impossível não cantar conforme mudava as páginas.

Fofo, animado, didático, com desenhos engraçados, que deixam qualquer um bem-disposto.

Ou talvez seja uma coisa minha, já que gosto bastante da música 😄

[Dorothy Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A seasonal Canadian favourite (especially since we recently listened to it as performed by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, sung by Brianna DeSantis, Sara Fontaine, Philip Klassen and Brandon Atkins, with the book pages projected on a large screen). Phenomenal! The illustrations are adorable. The two caribou are a favourite along with the little porcupine, and, of course, the loons.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful take on the 12 days of Christmas, and so much more fun than the traditional song. But what happens on the last page. It was missing in my book. Do they all fall down? Get in a Fight? I really want to know.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the funny Canadian version of The Twelve Days of Christmas in which there is a partridge in a pear tree. In Canada there's a porcupine in a pine tree, apparently, although I have never noticed that. Illustrations are fabulous.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is awesome. The text is fantastic and cannot be read...must be sung...but the illustrations really make it. The details are amazing. Mounties munching on doughnuts, Leafs chasing stanley cups but never able to reach them...pure Canadian gold.

[Sheri Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little book with adorable art. I enjoy that it also serves as a good memory challenge if you decide to sing along as you, recalling the countdown of gifts as you go. Makes a great gift for a little one.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful Christmas treat, eh! I’ll never be able to hear the traditional version of “12 Days of Christmas” again without thinking about porcupines and squirrels. I’ll definitely be sharing copies of this book next Christmas.

[Joy Keil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious...I just love these books! Great lyrics, great illustrations.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great christmas adaptation of the carol- and you don't need to be a kid to love it!!

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becker writes “A Porcupine in a Pine Tree” as an amusing take on the traditional 12 Days of Christmas tale. The Canadian references are well-done and represent many aspects of Canadians.
This story is great for kids, but I will say that adults will probably prefer the Bob and Dough Mackenzie version of this Christmas classic.

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it, going to use it in my Christmas storytime as a goofy sing-a-long. I love the 4 calling moose. 3+

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this babysitting, singing and all, and the six-year-old was right into it. The Leafs struggling to grab the Stanley Cups was an excellent touch.

[Hope Abigail Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this to my daughter, so much fun! Especially when it came to the leafs leaping ‘ after the Stanley cup’.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book to help get into the Christmas spirit!

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canadiana. Enuff said.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure it is Canadian,but it lacks the cadence and singability of the original. Still a fun holiday book.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We enjoyed this - reading the English and then the French versions and singing the whole time.

[Christie-anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, fun Canadian references, the words and sounds flow pleasantly.

[Mila Miskulin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for Canadian kids. Loved reading it so fun.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever telling of the 12 days theme from a Canadian perspective.