Nisha’s Just-Right Christmas Tree

PreS-Gr 2–A cute story about a multicultural family that blends their backgrounds for the Christmas holiday. Nisha’s father is Hindu, and her mother is Christian. When Nisha and her father go to pick out their Christmas tree, Nisha wants a big one—but they live in a small apartment and her father worries about getting it up the stairs. When they get to the tree lot, Nisha chooses a tree that’s too big, and Baba chooses a tree that’s too small. Finally, they agree on a tree, and Nisha demonstrates how big she is by using her wagon to get it home and her strength to get it up the stairs with Baba’s help. Mama makes burfi, and the ornaments for the tree come from both Indian and American traditions. In the final scene, Baba plays a Christmas carol on his sitar, Mama serves the burfi, and Nisha sees the reflection of her family together in one of the shiny ornaments. The illustrations carry this story: Nisha’s and Baba’s facial expressions match their emotions, and the use of perspective is done well. An author’s note is appended.