My Wonderful Christmas Tree (French)

In a career spanning more than eighty years, Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar (1917-2017) wrote and illustrated more than thirty children's and young adult books, starting with The Little Fisherman (by Margaret Wise Brown) in 1945 and including The Cat at Night and My Wonderful Christmas Tree. Dahlov Ipcar was born in Vermont and raised in Greenwich Village. She summered in Maine after her parents (the famed sculptor William Zorach and artist Marguerite Zorach) bought a farm on Georgetown Island in 1923. Thirteen years later, eighteen-year-old Dahlov, an aspiring artist, married Adolph Ipcar. The young couple left New York City in 1937 to live on the Maine farm where they first met. By the early 1940s, Ipcar had nearly given up thoughts of writing and illustrating books, when she was contacted by a New York publisher to illustrate The Little Fisherman. The struggling young artist jumped at the chance, and this charming title helped launch a prolific career that saw her write and illustrate more than thirty children's books of her own.

In 2001, she received The Katahdin Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Maine Library Association, and in 2010, she was awarded the New England Independent Booksellers Association's prestigious President's Award for her outstanding contribution to arts and letters. 

“I was delighted to discover a new edition of My Wonderful Christmas Tree. This children's Christmas picture book by Dahlov Ipcar is an unusual Christmas book. It is not about Santa Claus nor is it about the birth of Jesus. It does not feature lots of bright colors and frenetic activity. Instead, it is a quiet counting book, in rhyme, that features animals that live in the fields and forests of New England.”
—Elizabeth Kennedy, About.com, Best Children's Christmas Picture Books of 2008

"The stylized illustrations combine elements of nature with striking design."
—Nashua Telegraph

"A beautiful addition to any holiday book collection, Dahlov Ipcar's My Wonderful Christmas Tree combines simple verse with truly gorgeous illustrations. The accompanying text is a traditional children's counting poem, but Ipcars depiction of a wintery New England forest s inhabitants makes this a timeless classic. The cuddly black bears, prickly porcupines and squeaky chipmunks virtually flit through the pages in shades of sage green and deep orange. The illustrations are brightly imagined and will have you wanting to discover more of Ipcar's beautiful childrens books. This vibrant work of art will engage and delight both children and adults."
—momcentral.com