The After Christmas Tree

By Author / Illustrator

Bethan Welby

Genre

Environment

Age range(s)

Publisher

Scallywag Press

ISBN

9781912650989

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

06-10-2022

Synopsis

On a cold afternoon in January, Brian sees a little Christmas tree, stripped of its decorations and discarded by the roadside. He immediately decides to take the tree home with him and look after it...but will it be as easy as he thinks, and will his family be pleased? This is a beautiful gift book with themes of empathy and environment, as well as all the magic of Christmas! Long listed for the Klaus Flugge Prize.

Find out more in this short reading by author Bethan Welby

Download Extract

Reviews

This beautifully written festive book will claim the hearts of many children. The After Christmas Tree follows Brian as he rescues a Christmas tree on a cold afternoon in January. He is so sad to see it sitting, lonely on the roadside with no decorations and discarded by those to whom it had brought so much joy. What will happen when he takes it home? How easy is it to look after a tree?

This would be the perfect book to start the January term with. There are so many additional learning activities which could be introduced along side this book. You could do research in to looking after a potted tree and write instructions. You could link it to a recycling topic and discuss/ research what happens to different types of Christmas trees after Christmas. It will capture the imagination of nature lovers and could be linked to an animal focused topic; how would they use the tree?

Picture book / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher