Review of Cindy Lou's very Special Christmas Tree

[ciecheesemeister]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cindy Lou's very Special Christmas Tree" by billie atamer.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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People of all ages tend to forget about the true spirit of the Christmas season in favor of competition and material gain. Christmas becomes a race to see who can give and get the best presents. But in Cindy Lou’s Very Special Christmas Tree, author Billie Atamer reminds readers of all ages that giving or receiving the biggest and best gifts is not what Christmas is really about.

A family of mice lives in a gingerbread house in a woman’s attic. The mouse family decorates their tree with presents. Little Cindy Lou always loved this tradition until her friend Billy Joe ridiculed it, saying that having presents on the tree was dumb because presents are supposed to be placed under the tree. Billy Joe bragged about all the neat gifts that he and his family would be exchanging, leaving Cindy Lou feeling sad and embarrassed. As the story progresses, Cindy Lou feels even worse about herself.

Although the story is told from a Christian perspective, readers of all beliefs can benefit from the message that the Christmas holiday is about celebrating the things that really matter, such as gratitude for the bonds we have with friends and family, rather than gloating over material gain. Items break down or get lost. The connections we have to those we love, our faith if religion plays a part in our lives, and general goodwill towards humanity with a desire to make the world a better place are the gifts that last.

The story is appropriate for children of all ages. Kids who know how to read should have no problem reading the story themselves. Youngsters will also enjoy the charming illustrations by Kathy James.

There was nothing I disliked about the book, but I don’t believe it was professionally edited. I don’t include formatting issues in this assessment, as the editor is not usually the person who formats the book. There were a few minor formatting issues, but I don’t count these as errors. I believe the book was proofread as I did not find any misspellings or overt grammatical issues.

My primary reason for feeling that the book was not professionally edited is the way the paragraphs are arranged. For example:

“Yippee! I’m gonna make a snowman.” Ruthie went to tell Cindy Lou the good news. “Guess what Cindy?” Ruthie said, almost out of breath. “I heard. So what?” Cindy pulled the covers over her head. Ruthie peeked under the covers. “Hi, Cindy. I’m gonna need help makin’ the snowman. You’re taller than me and you can help me put the coal in the snowman’s face so he can see.”

Readability would be dramatically increased by starting a new paragraph each time a different character speaks. I believe that most professional editors would suggest doing so.

I give Cindy Lou’s Very Special Christmas Tree three out of four stars. The story is enjoyable and has a positive message but the book could benefit from a bit of retooling with a focus on restructuring certain paragraphs and attention to formatting.

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Cindy Lou's very Special Christmas Tree
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[Patty Allread]

It must have been tempting and torturous for the mouse family to live in the gingerbread house without eating it!

[queen anirah]

This is a great book for children. It will teach them about the true way to possess the Christmas spirit. Gifts and whatnot do not really matter when there is a good bond.