The Fir Tree, illustrated by Bernadette Watts.

Bernadette Watts - who has also illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling and The Snow Queen - turns her attention to his melancholy arboreal "biography" in this lovely picture-book. Never content with his present lot, always looking ahead and wanting more, the titular fir tree is unable to appreciate the true meaning of the events of his life, from being made into a Christmas decoration, to being stored in the attic.

After finding Watts' interpretation of The Snow Queen rather lackluster, I wasn't sure I would care for her rendition of The Fir Tree. I am happy to report, however, that I really enjoyed her illustrations here, finding them quite well-suited to the tale. From the exuberant hare jumping over the tiny snow-bound fir, to the bedraggled, dried-out tree stacked in the corner of an attic, Watts' pictures capture the emotions of the tale: its sense of beauty, sadness, and most of all, regret. I'm glad I gave her work a second chance, and am even wondering if I was too hard on her efforts for The Snow Queen: it's possible her edition simply suffered in comparison to the Vladyslav Yerko edition... ( )