We Disagree About This Tree: A Christmas Story

by Ross Collins, Ross Collins (Illustrator)

Overview

A festive follow-up to There's a Bear on My Chair and There’s a Mouse in My House

Bear and Mouse have finally overcome their differences and are living together in perfect harmony . . . until it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree! Bear wants dazzling lights, while Mouse prefers gigantic ornaments. Did Mouse just put a manatee on the top of the tree? After Bear attempts an upside-down tree, it looks as if Christmas might be ruined for the pair. But maybe, just maybe, Bear and Mouse can reach a compromise in the spirit of the season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536231984
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Ross Collins' Mouse and Bear Stories
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	516,095
Product dimensions:	11.06(w) x 10.94(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Ross Collins has illustrated more than one hundred books for children and is the author-illustrator of This Is a Dog, There’s a Bear on My Chair, There’s a Mouse in My House, This Zoo Is Not for You, and What Does an Anteater Eat? When he’s not creating children’s books, he enjoys working on character development for animation studios, including Laika and Disney. He also likes walking in the Scottish glens with his dog and his partner. Ross Collins lives in Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

The protagonists of There’s a Bear on My Chair (2016) and There’s a Mouse in My House (2021) disagree about how best to decorate their Christmas tree…until all nearly ends in disaster. . . . This silly story will elicit giggles from little readers. . . The length, pacing, and charming illustrations make this one a future Christmas favorite. . . . We agree: This is a delightful holiday tale.
—Kirkus Reviews

The funny rhyming text is all in dialogue, but it’s easy to see who’s speaking as the argument escalates: fonts are differentiated, and the digital illustrations make it clear who’s excited about each aesthetic and who’s decidedly not. All ends well, of course—but if these two ever try decking the halls, run.
—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

08/25/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Who has the better Christmas tree decorating skills: Mouse or Bear? Whose tree will be the best fit for display in their home? Mouse and Bear each believe that they have the right idea of what the tree is supposed to look like. The ensuing back and forth tree decorating competition is the backdrop for a humorous disagreement that ends in a spectacular crash. Lively spot illustrations set on solid backgrounds accompany each increasingly preposterous iteration of the tree decorating process. The illustrations focus on emotion through the depiction of facial expression and body language and perfectly accompany this humorous take on how friends sometimes compete with one another. Ultimately, while they may disagree about the tree, these two friends come to see that perhaps there is more to a Christmas tree than decorations. In the end, an exchange of presents draws the friends back together. VERDICT This well-paced rhyming text makes both an enjoyable solo read as well as a fun Christmas themed read-aloud. A recommended purchase.—Jessica Caron

School Library Journal

2023-08-15
The protagonists of There’s a Bear on My Chair (2016) and There’s a Mouse in My House (2021) disagree about how best to decorate their Christmas tree…until all nearly ends in disaster.

When the polar bear arrives home with a lovely tree, the mouse pushes the bear aside and adorns the tree with huge ornaments. But the bear has a different idea and illuminates the tree with a brilliant display of lights. The mouse, of course, disapproves. And so the two continue back and forth until the tree collapses. Luckily, they find a way to put things right. The rhyming text keeps an even tempo well suited for reading aloud and includes vocabulary words like baubles and incendiary. This silly story will elicit giggles from little readers: At one point a manatee dressed as a fairy tops the tree, and at the end, after a gift exchange, the mouse and polar bear each end up wearing sweaters sized for the other. The soft illustrations, with simple solid-colored backgrounds, focus readers’ attention on the unsuccessful Christmas tree decor and the reactions of the two friends. The mouse’s self-satisfied look is spot-on, as is the polar bear’s expression of annoyance. The length, pacing, and charming illustrations make this one a future Christmas favorite. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

We agree: This is a delightful holiday tale. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews