Book Review: The Three Trees by Elena Pasquali, Illustrated by Sophie Windham

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Elena Pasquali
Illustrated by Sophie Windham 

Publisher: Lion Hudson PLC

Publish Date: January 21, 2011

Children's Hardcover with dust jacket, 32 pages 
Fiction, Children's, Christian
 ISBN:  978-0745961705

My Review:
Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully told, this re-telling of the traditional folktale really gets to the heart of the matter for children I thought.  Both of my boys seemed moved by the story.  For my 10-year-old who is all heart this admittedly does not take much. He takes all things to do with Jesus very seriously and I am proud of him for that. So hearing this tale just brought things more to home for him.  My 6-year-old is more restless and a little harder to get through to (I'm sure some of you understand), he understands about Jesus but at times he doesn't seem as reverent as my older son was even when he was 6.  However this book seems to get through to him.  Maybe it is the conciseness of the telling of Jesus' life in how the three tree's serve Him.  Maybe it's the powerfulness of the tale.  Maybe it was his mood.  But this book got through to him.  I have to admit it moved me as well.

Concise and to the point as a children's book should be, The Three Trees tells the story with the right amount of words and gorgeous illustrations that truly bring home the message of the words.  I think the illustrator did a wonderful job bringing the words to life in pictures.

I wish this book would have come into my house about 7 years ago so it could have become a Christmas and Easter staple.  I am sure I can get a few more years out of it, but my boys are quickly outgrowing picture books, but if you have children who are young then this is just the book for them and you as a parent.  You may be familiar with the story, I have to admit I was not, but I am glad I am now because it is a special story and one I will remember for quite awhile.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
Three forest trees dream of what they will one day become. One dreams of becoming a royal throne; one of being a ship that can withstand any storm; and one longs to stay in the forest and grow as tall as tall can be. When they are felled, it seems their dreams are over. But as each tree is crafted into a new item--a manger, a fishing boat, and a rugged cross—it becomes clear that through the role they play in one important life their hopes are more than fulfilled.

This traditional folktale is accompanied by stylish artwork from a highly sought-after children's book illustrator, and will help set the Christmas and Easter stories into the overall context of the Christian faith.

About the Author: 
Elena Pasquali studied romance languages at university and has a special interest in researching folk tales. She worked for some years in children's publishing before going on to be an author in her own right. 
About the Illustrator: 
Sophie Windham has illustrated books for Bloomsbury and Orchard and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Unicorns! Unicorns! by Geraldine McCaughrean. 

FTC Information: I received this book through Kregel Publications for an honest review.