Needles, The Forgotten Christmas Tree by Richard Wagner

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It is December and the holidays are near. As part of iRead Book Tours I’m sharing a wonderful holiday story today. Please check out the bottom of the post for a giveaway opportunity!

Book Description:
The world is not always perfect. A scraggly little tree named Needles must endure taunts, criticism, and setbacks to realize his goal of becoming a beautiful Christmas tree.

This is a story of hope, dreams, desires, determination, and never giving up. It also offers the observation that what others think is beautiful may not really matter. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder . . . and paired with the spirit of Christmas, maybe we can make the world just a little more perfect!
Review:
Needles is a Christmas tree not to be forgotten. He dreams of becoming someone’s perfect Christmas tree but because he is so small, many people walk by him. I loved Needles determination and his ability not to give up. This is a wonderful story for ages 4-9 to read and enjoy. The pictures are beautiful and fit the story perfectly. When Needles is feeling especially lonely the picture reflects small little Needles all alone on the big page. The story is about a Christmas tree but it’s a great book to read anytime of the year. Children will love Needles and want him to reach his dream!
Author Interview:
What inspired you to write this story?
​It’s actually based upon a real-life experience. When I was 14, a tree was delivered to our home by a business associate of my dad’s. It was a small tree, a little scraggly, but not a bad specimen. The problem was that we had already decorated a tree in the house. We tried to find someone to take the extra tree, but couldn’t find anyone, so that little tree sat on the side of the house for the entire holiday period.

That’s actually a sad story.  Obviously, it affected you?

​I felt so sorry for that little tree. What a waste.  It could have made someone very happy. I never forgot that little tree, and for many, many years I wanted to write a story based on that experience. Finally, I did.

 

Where did Emily come from?

​Emily just seemed right for the story.  There was no deep thought about her other than the uplift at the end might be more poignant, and the fact that like Needles, she had challenges in her life, and even with those challenges they both have, they are each able to help the other in a rather glorious way.


What can children learn from this book?

​There are several teachable concepts. First and foremost, in life one must persevere and never give up on dreams, hopes, and life itself. Second, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Emily adores Needles. Needles adores Emily. Neither is perfect, but so what? Life is not perfect, and we all have our own challenges. Lastly, it is good to have dreams and positive thoughts about what you want in life. However, it may take determination and steadfastness to get there.

 

Are you planning to write more books?

​I would like to.  First, I want to see how this book does. I could see more adventures for Needles, and I have other ideas that are history related.  We’ll see.

Buy the Book:
(release date March 2023)
(pre-order now)
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Amazon ~ B&N
Meet the Author:

Wagner grew up in Southern California. When he was 14-years old, a business friend of his father’s had a small Christmas tree delivered as a thank you. Their family already had a large tree decorated in the house. Not being able to find anyone who needed a tree, that small Christmas tree stood outside by itself for the remainder of the Christmas holiday.
Author website: https://needlesthechristmastree.com/
Enter the Giveaway:
NEEDLES THE FORGOTTEN CHRISTMAS TREE Book Tour Giveaway




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