A Solstice Tree for Jenny

by Karen Shragg

It's Christmas time all across America and Jenny is feeling left out. Her secular parents, born to different faiths that they no longer observe, don't believe in celebrating Christmas. She never seemed to mind before, but this year it bothers her--maybe because they're home and not on the Florida coast where they usually go at this time of the year to avoid the holiday hoopla. All around her the neighbors have decorated their houses with festive lights,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573929301
• ISBN13: 9781573929301
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 49 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.4" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 5 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 4

Customer Reviews

Simple and yet fairly complete.

This book is some what hokey but it does accomplish what it sets out to do and in a very simple easy to understand fashion. The kids weren't much interested in it, but that was probably because we were trying to ween them off of x-mas and into solstice which was a lot for them to consume. It will come in handy in the future (every year for a while) to help them understand and feel better about their own families traditions while being surrounded by friends who do it a little different.

Excellent Book for Young Freethinkers

My 8 year old loved this book. It shows the real issue that many freethinking families have with the holiday season, and an very innovative way that one young girl created a new holiday tradition around her beliefs. It also shows children why various religions have their holidays and beliefs, and why non-believers are different, as they do what is right because it's the right thing to do, not because they are afraid of a god.This is an excellent book for children from 5-15.

A wonderful story for families

This book is the story of a young girl, who believes her house is the ugliest on the block becuse there are no lights, or menorahs to decorate the windows. Her parents explain why they don?t celebrate the holidays like their neighbors, and even though Jenny understands she still feels left out. The next day at school she tells a teacher about her problem. The teacher gives her a book of solstice stories. Jenny reads the stories and then shares the book with her parents and asks them what they belive. Together the family decides to put up a solstice tree decorated with slips of paper that have what they believe in written on them. The parents recapture the joy they used to feel at this time of year, and pass that joy to their daughter. Jenny can?t wait to share her soltice tree and its messages with all of her friends. This was a well written book that explained Humanist beliefs in a clear and easy to understand way. It in no way attacked those who celebrate religious holidays but explained clearly why those who are not religious don?t celebrate these days. It also showed how so many of our beliefs are alike, the difference being in the way we learn them. I believe this story and the tree it talks about will become a tradition in our home, one that our girls can proudly tell their friends and teachers about. Maybe with each telling of the story of their solstice tree they will bridge the gap of intolerance.