Official Review: Little Tree's Big Dream by MJ Albert

[Cecilia_L]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Little Tree's Big Dream" by MJ Albert.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Little Tree's Big Dream: A Christmas Story by M.J. Albert is a charming children's book about perseverance and pursuing goals. Little Tree lives with the other trees in the forest, but he wishes he could fly to different places like his friend, Finch. After Little Tree learns about humans and Christmas trees from Finch, he longs for more. He imagines seeing new things and becoming a Christmas tree decorated with colorful lights. Although Finch warns him that Christmas trees don't return to the forest after they go away, Little Tree doesn't give up on his dream. He focuses on growing taller with the hope that someday, humans will select him as a beautiful Christmas tree. Will Little Tree's dream come true?

The 28-page children's book is a fun read for the holidays. When Finch and the other trees warn Little Tree that he will "never come back" after being a Christmas tree, young readers learn to hold fast to their dreams despite what others think or say. As the story unfolds, Little Tree's courage in pursuing his goal is unexpectedly rewarded, further reinforcing the themes of perseverance and following your dreams.

I especially liked the enchanting illustrations by Sakshi Mangal. From the beautiful color palette to the whimsical faces of the trees and animals, she created pages of magical scenes that will surely delight young readers.

However, since the beautiful illustrations greatly enhanced the story, I was disappointed that the illustrator was not given credit on the cover, the synopsis, or anywhere else in the book. Although I reviewed the PDF format, I noted that the illustrator's name was also absent from the Amazon sample; only the listing cited it. Typically, the illustrator's name appears on the book cover and copyright page, so it seemed incongruous that Albert acknowledged that the story was based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Fir Tree yet neglected to give credit to the illustrator. The idiom "Give credit where credit is due" came to mind. Additionally, Albert incorrectly capitalized "Christmas Tree" throughout the book. As it wasn't a proper noun, "Christmas tree" is correct, and although the PDF I read was marked "Uncorrected Proof," each error had to be counted.

Due to the above reasons, I rate Little Tree's Brig Dream 3 out of 4 stars. Despite the previously mentioned issues, it is a sweet story featuring lovely illustrations. As it contains more text than most picture books, I recommend it as a read-aloud story to children through the age of 9.

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Little Tree's Big Dream
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[Awesomeliker]

What a cute, heartwarming story! Too bad the illustrator wasn't credited though. Thanks for the amazing review!

[Cecilia_L]

What a cute, heartwarming story! Too bad the illustrator wasn't credited though. Thanks for the amazing review!

Thank you.

[RHD]

What a cute, heartwarming story! Too bad the illustrator wasn't credited though. Thanks for the amazing review!

Yeah, too bad. I agree the review is well-done

[Unique Ego]

It's interesting how this author turns the reality of trees being cut down into something to look forward to. I hope Little Tree gets to see the world like he wants to.

[Vannaskivt]

Sounds like a great children's book. As an artist myself, I agree, credit should have been given to the illustrator. Thanks for the great review.