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A Tree for Peter
When Peter, a fatherless lame boy living in Shantytown, meets Peter King, a mysterious, wandering stranger, his lonely life becomes filled with hope, friendship, and even miracles.
102 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1941
10 people are currently reading
888 people want to read
About the author
Kate Seredy
70 books88 followersSeredy (Serédy Kató) was a gifted writer and illustrator, born in Hungary, who moved to the United States in 1922.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
January 1, 2025
Second reading:
I thought a book that I loved and that is one that a book group I belong to is soon to discuss would be the right thing for me as I sat home alone today and contemplated the year just passed and what comes next. Turns out this was the perfect choice. I need to work to find that Sunday feeling in my heart and life. I also needed the reminder that God does not give us the end product of what we plead for, he gives us a tool and then we can go to work on getting it for ourselves. I need to be on the lookout for tools in the coming months. Not sure what is more wonderful in this one, the words or her gorgeous illustrations. Love it all. A few more quotes to add to the one I offered below in my previous review...
"You see, Prince Peter," said Peter the tramp, with a smile, "we didn't run from this shadow and we found that it was nothing but a homeless dog wanting a little kindness."
Peter thought this over and found it was true. The discovery gave him a light, bubbly feeling inside. It was his Sunday feeling: a funny little tickle that made him want to sing and laugh.
The Sunday feeling did not leave. Not even when, at sundown, his friend went away. The Sunday feeling stayed because Mr. Peter had promised to come again.
"There, leaning against the stove, was the spade. It was shiny new, with a red handle: Peter's hands closed around it. It felt good, all clean and new; it had a good smell of wood and paint and it was beautiful. It was the first new thing Peter had ever had. He hugged it. Something very good was happening to him again, way inside; and again he had no words for it. Years later he knew that the little red spade had been a tool to the boy Peter, a toy to the child he was; it was a sword to fight ugliness with...but at the moment it was only a shiny spade, clean, unused, all his own....And right there the magic began..."
"Peter was singing. It was not just a song; it was the Sunday feeling called happiness coming out loud, as loud as he could shout."
"All we can do, small Peter, is to plant a tree and wait."
"Visions of a real garden that would fill the yard with green and blooming things began to grow in their hearts. They saw themselves and the ones they loved in a dream garden and they smiled at what they saw. Each one had a dream and each one thought he was the only one who dared to dream of happiness and beauty in Shantytown. But spring and the sun can see growing things even if they are dreams hidden in people's hearts. And maybe the sun said to spring: 'You get them into the yard all together and I will coax those dreams out of their hearts.'"
"The rest of the yard was spaded up and raked; it lay like a smooth brown carpet between the houses. Slow, as May went by, brown turned into green, studded with yellow stars. The yellow stars were dandelions - only weeds to those whose eyes are spoiled by too much beauty, but stars to Peter and the others in Shantytown."
First reading:
This was supposed to be a Christmas read that I didn't get to in time for the holidays and I am rather grateful that I didn't. I needed it now. With a country/world going mad around me, this was the balm in Gilead that I needed today, it filled me with the "Sunday feeling". I would encourage everyone to try and get your hands on this one and read it for the hope and lessons it offers in how we should treat each other and how a little bit of beauty can spread and cover the whole earth if we would allow it. I have seen other reviews of this book that discard it and speak of it being too farfetched but I don't believe that, I believe in everything the book has to offer. I cannot remember who recommended this to me, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Here is a paragraph to give you a taste:
"Peter's heart was bursting with the Sunday feeling. He had no words to go with the way he felt; all the words he knew seemed dull and gray. The Sunday feeling was bright as the sunshine and sharp as the little waves around the boat. It would not stay down but spread into Peter's cheeks, making them pink and hot; it crept into his eyes, making them shine like stars, and finally it burst out into a laughing sentence: 'The sun is dancing inside me, Mr. Peter!'"
I thought a book that I loved and that is one that a book group I belong to is soon to discuss would be the right thing for me as I sat home alone today and contemplated the year just passed and what comes next. Turns out this was the perfect choice. I need to work to find that Sunday feeling in my heart and life. I also needed the reminder that God does not give us the end product of what we plead for, he gives us a tool and then we can go to work on getting it for ourselves. I need to be on the lookout for tools in the coming months. Not sure what is more wonderful in this one, the words or her gorgeous illustrations. Love it all. A few more quotes to add to the one I offered below in my previous review...
"You see, Prince Peter," said Peter the tramp, with a smile, "we didn't run from this shadow and we found that it was nothing but a homeless dog wanting a little kindness."
Peter thought this over and found it was true. The discovery gave him a light, bubbly feeling inside. It was his Sunday feeling: a funny little tickle that made him want to sing and laugh.
The Sunday feeling did not leave. Not even when, at sundown, his friend went away. The Sunday feeling stayed because Mr. Peter had promised to come again.
"There, leaning against the stove, was the spade. It was shiny new, with a red handle: Peter's hands closed around it. It felt good, all clean and new; it had a good smell of wood and paint and it was beautiful. It was the first new thing Peter had ever had. He hugged it. Something very good was happening to him again, way inside; and again he had no words for it. Years later he knew that the little red spade had been a tool to the boy Peter, a toy to the child he was; it was a sword to fight ugliness with...but at the moment it was only a shiny spade, clean, unused, all his own....And right there the magic began..."
"Peter was singing. It was not just a song; it was the Sunday feeling called happiness coming out loud, as loud as he could shout."
"All we can do, small Peter, is to plant a tree and wait."
"Visions of a real garden that would fill the yard with green and blooming things began to grow in their hearts. They saw themselves and the ones they loved in a dream garden and they smiled at what they saw. Each one had a dream and each one thought he was the only one who dared to dream of happiness and beauty in Shantytown. But spring and the sun can see growing things even if they are dreams hidden in people's hearts. And maybe the sun said to spring: 'You get them into the yard all together and I will coax those dreams out of their hearts.'"
"The rest of the yard was spaded up and raked; it lay like a smooth brown carpet between the houses. Slow, as May went by, brown turned into green, studded with yellow stars. The yellow stars were dandelions - only weeds to those whose eyes are spoiled by too much beauty, but stars to Peter and the others in Shantytown."
First reading:
This was supposed to be a Christmas read that I didn't get to in time for the holidays and I am rather grateful that I didn't. I needed it now. With a country/world going mad around me, this was the balm in Gilead that I needed today, it filled me with the "Sunday feeling". I would encourage everyone to try and get your hands on this one and read it for the hope and lessons it offers in how we should treat each other and how a little bit of beauty can spread and cover the whole earth if we would allow it. I have seen other reviews of this book that discard it and speak of it being too farfetched but I don't believe that, I believe in everything the book has to offer. I cannot remember who recommended this to me, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Here is a paragraph to give you a taste:
"Peter's heart was bursting with the Sunday feeling. He had no words to go with the way he felt; all the words he knew seemed dull and gray. The Sunday feeling was bright as the sunshine and sharp as the little waves around the boat. It would not stay down but spread into Peter's cheeks, making them pink and hot; it crept into his eyes, making them shine like stars, and finally it burst out into a laughing sentence: 'The sun is dancing inside me, Mr. Peter!'"
June 22, 2017
Lovely. The format, that of a fat picture-book, shows off Seredy's enchanting artwork. And the story is ever so heartwarming. If you're lucky enough to get a chance to read this, don't be a cynic, but just enjoy.
---------------
A reread reinforces my appreciation for this gem. I do, naturally, feel my cynical side pushing to diss the book... but if we're not optimistic, if we don't even *try* for community spirit and brotherliness, then of course we won't succeed. Between books like this and the new-to-me IRL social media of Nextdoor.com, I feel that we *can* make the world a better place, little by little.
---------------
A reread reinforces my appreciation for this gem. I do, naturally, feel my cynical side pushing to diss the book... but if we're not optimistic, if we don't even *try* for community spirit and brotherliness, then of course we won't succeed. Between books like this and the new-to-me IRL social media of Nextdoor.com, I feel that we *can* make the world a better place, little by little.
March 22, 2009
First off, I have to say that if you have not seen Kate Seredy's art, you should try to do that. Find a copy of The Chestry Oak, or more especially The Tenement Tree or A Tree for Peter at your library and even if you don't read the book, look at the pictures. They are a real treat! Beautiful, beautiful black and white drawings that make people and creatures come to life.
Next, this book was a great read. I think I enjoyed this more having just read "Gizelle, Save the Children." Both speak deeply of hope which cannot be squelched. Even in terrible conditions, there is always hope and sometimes unlikely heroes that make that hope shine through.
I find Kate Seredy's works to be deeply spiritual as well and love that layer of her work.
Find this book and read how little lame Peter, living in Shantytown finds some wonderful friends who help him overcome his fears and guide him to be who he was meant to be!
Reminds me of this poem recently pointed out on Michelle's blog:
HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard; 5
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I ’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea; 10
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
Emily Dickinson
Next, this book was a great read. I think I enjoyed this more having just read "Gizelle, Save the Children." Both speak deeply of hope which cannot be squelched. Even in terrible conditions, there is always hope and sometimes unlikely heroes that make that hope shine through.
I find Kate Seredy's works to be deeply spiritual as well and love that layer of her work.
Find this book and read how little lame Peter, living in Shantytown finds some wonderful friends who help him overcome his fears and guide him to be who he was meant to be!
Reminds me of this poem recently pointed out on Michelle's blog:
HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard; 5
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I ’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea; 10
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
Emily Dickinson
July 16, 2016
What a lovely story!! This might be one of my new favorite children's books ever! Definitely the kind I want on my children's bookshelf to be read and reread. Truly a treasure! It is very hard to find wholesome books for the 5-8 range that will both entertain and inspire. I can't even think of any others to compare it to. I just love it.
July 12, 2012
This is one of those books that popped up on Goodreads's recommendations and I somehow missed it as a kid. After looking it up on Amazon I figured out why - it's been out of print for ages and used copies are selling for hundreds of dollars (btw - if you have a copy - take good care of it!).
I also found and read a story about a woman who contacted publishers to see if she could get them re-interested in the book- they all turned it down saying it was 'too old' and 'too dated' and 'too Christian' - now, lord knows I am NOT religious, but a good book is a good book, and this is a good book. I will say, however, that as a somewhat cynical adult, it didn't have the same impact on me as it would have had had I read it as a child.
It's sweet, compassionate, and the sort of book you'll want to make sure your kids have read. It has a social consciousness about it and I'm sure that if young minds read it, especially wealthy, born in the 'right neighborhood' minds - they won't look at the 'wrong side of the tracks' part of town the same way again.
If you can find a copy - read it, it's worth it, and it takes less than an hour (oh - and Seredy's illustrations are 'classic American' kind of priceless eye candy). I got my copy from the library and mourn the day I have to return it for several reasons, the least of which is that this 1963 edition is worth almost $700.
I also found and read a story about a woman who contacted publishers to see if she could get them re-interested in the book- they all turned it down saying it was 'too old' and 'too dated' and 'too Christian' - now, lord knows I am NOT religious, but a good book is a good book, and this is a good book. I will say, however, that as a somewhat cynical adult, it didn't have the same impact on me as it would have had had I read it as a child.
It's sweet, compassionate, and the sort of book you'll want to make sure your kids have read. It has a social consciousness about it and I'm sure that if young minds read it, especially wealthy, born in the 'right neighborhood' minds - they won't look at the 'wrong side of the tracks' part of town the same way again.
If you can find a copy - read it, it's worth it, and it takes less than an hour (oh - and Seredy's illustrations are 'classic American' kind of priceless eye candy). I got my copy from the library and mourn the day I have to return it for several reasons, the least of which is that this 1963 edition is worth almost $700.
May 17, 2022
I somehow I stumbled across this one a few months ago and tucked it away for December.
I had no idea this book used to be hard-to-find because the reprint is now so readily available from the wonderful small publisher Purple House Press — which is fantastic because now more people will be able to experience this book!
It is a short illustrated novel and what a lovely story. It’s my first by Newbery author Kate Seredy, but definitely won’t be my last. In fact, I have four more waiting for me on my shelves! I’d love to read them all for #theunreadshelfproject2020 📚📚📚
I had no idea this book used to be hard-to-find because the reprint is now so readily available from the wonderful small publisher Purple House Press — which is fantastic because now more people will be able to experience this book!
It is a short illustrated novel and what a lovely story. It’s my first by Newbery author Kate Seredy, but definitely won’t be my last. In fact, I have four more waiting for me on my shelves! I’d love to read them all for #theunreadshelfproject2020 📚📚📚
September 22, 2017
Marvelous. Simply marvelous. An absolute gift.
December 18, 2017
Poetic story beautifully told.
January 2, 2023
A darling little story about looking deeper than poverty. It wraps up a little too neatly, perhaps, but it was still a gem.
October 27, 2021
3.5 stars: This story has some beautiful messages: that one person showing kindness or improving the world around them can lead to others doing the same, or that nature can change people’s hearts, or seeing injustice can motivate you to change things. There was a lot to like.
However, for me personally, the story and writing just stepped over that line from moving to mawkish. Everything works out perfectly, everyone is good. It was too sentimental for me and didn’t feel like reality.
I also felt pretty uncomfortable that little kid Peter just went off with this older stranger and didn’t tell his mother, instead actively keeping the secret from her. It’s implied this stranger is supposed to be Jesus or angelic, but it made me really uncomfortable. It’s easy to say this was written in a more innocent time and that kind of thing didn’t happen back then, but it did. We just hear about it more now. So at the very least, it opened up a conversation about not going off with people you don’t know and keeping secrets from parents.
However, for me personally, the story and writing just stepped over that line from moving to mawkish. Everything works out perfectly, everyone is good. It was too sentimental for me and didn’t feel like reality.
I also felt pretty uncomfortable that little kid Peter just went off with this older stranger and didn’t tell his mother, instead actively keeping the secret from her. It’s implied this stranger is supposed to be Jesus or angelic, but it made me really uncomfortable. It’s easy to say this was written in a more innocent time and that kind of thing didn’t happen back then, but it did. We just hear about it more now. So at the very least, it opened up a conversation about not going off with people you don’t know and keeping secrets from parents.
February 1, 2016
Not Seredy's best. Like her other wartime publications, this one has that abundance of optimism and community spirit that now seems far-fetched. Maybe it was far-fetched then, too, but we did end up winning the war. I'm not sure why so many characters needed to have the same initial: two Peters (one nicknamed Peanut), patrolman Pat, the dog Pal - what is the point? Illustrations are lovely, as usual.
December 9, 2021
This was such a sweet story about how the small and simple things can change lives and even communities.
Peter is a young boy with a lame foot. He lives in what is called Shantytown. The houses are falling apart. Everything is ugly. There is s sense of desperation about the place and the people. One day, as he stands in the rain watching the train go by, he connects with another young boy through a smile and a wave. This encounter changes both of their lives. As men, they each become builders of what is good and beautiful. When they finally meet again, the full story of Shantytown is shared.
I love that so much of the change stems from small things; a friendly tramp, a patch of grass, a tiny Christmas, a carol begun spontaneously by one of the residents. The story highlights the importance of beauty, however small, to lift the spirit and inspire an upward reach. Miracles happen, the kind of miracles that we can each be a part of.
This is the first time I have read this author. I will be looking for more of her work. The illustrations by the author throughout the book are lovely.
I will be rereading this tender tale over and over again.
Peter is a young boy with a lame foot. He lives in what is called Shantytown. The houses are falling apart. Everything is ugly. There is s sense of desperation about the place and the people. One day, as he stands in the rain watching the train go by, he connects with another young boy through a smile and a wave. This encounter changes both of their lives. As men, they each become builders of what is good and beautiful. When they finally meet again, the full story of Shantytown is shared.
I love that so much of the change stems from small things; a friendly tramp, a patch of grass, a tiny Christmas, a carol begun spontaneously by one of the residents. The story highlights the importance of beauty, however small, to lift the spirit and inspire an upward reach. Miracles happen, the kind of miracles that we can each be a part of.
This is the first time I have read this author. I will be looking for more of her work. The illustrations by the author throughout the book are lovely.
I will be rereading this tender tale over and over again.
Read
November 21, 2010Peter is little, lame, fatherless, poor and "afraid of many things." His mother has to work every day in the city and he spends his week alone and frightened, living for Sunday, her day off. They live in Shantytown, an area of old abandoned houses that the poorest of the poor are squatting in as they try to eke out a meager living: it is a people and a place without hope. Until one day, small Peter meets Peter King, an old tramp who befriends him and teaches him to stop being fearful of life. As his outlook changes, he starts making friends, first with a mangy dog, and then with the Irish cop whose beat includes Shantytown. As he changes, he starts changing the world around him, little by little. From Peter King's kindness, a chain of events builds and transforms Small Peter and all the people of Shantytown.
I loved this story. Loved it. I felt so helpless and depressed as I read about Peter being left alone day after day in those squalid conditions by a mother who clearly hated it as much as he did, but didn't have any other option. And I rejoiced when he found a kind heart to teach him to live beyond those fears.
People of today might read the story and see only the unrealistic aspects compared to our own day: children left alone day after day without state interference; a friendship with a vagrant who turns out to be kind rather than deranged. But for me as a modern reader, I think this story still has bearing, and I appreciate the hope that drives the story, the inherent innocence of it, and the author's assumption that people are basically good and -more importantly- that one person can make a difference in the lives of others.
Kate Seredy's beautiful, detailed, sepia illustrations accompany her amazing story, and set the tone.
One of our family's very favorite stories, despite its religious undertones, which go right over my children's heads. This makes a great read-aloud anytime, but especially at Christmas. (If you can get through it without weeping.)
I loved this story. Loved it. I felt so helpless and depressed as I read about Peter being left alone day after day in those squalid conditions by a mother who clearly hated it as much as he did, but didn't have any other option. And I rejoiced when he found a kind heart to teach him to live beyond those fears.
People of today might read the story and see only the unrealistic aspects compared to our own day: children left alone day after day without state interference; a friendship with a vagrant who turns out to be kind rather than deranged. But for me as a modern reader, I think this story still has bearing, and I appreciate the hope that drives the story, the inherent innocence of it, and the author's assumption that people are basically good and -more importantly- that one person can make a difference in the lives of others.
Kate Seredy's beautiful, detailed, sepia illustrations accompany her amazing story, and set the tone.
One of our family's very favorite stories, despite its religious undertones, which go right over my children's heads. This makes a great read-aloud anytime, but especially at Christmas. (If you can get through it without weeping.)
May 7, 2010
Okay. I started reading this book out loud to my son yesterday for his nap and then today after I read to him before his nap I took the book with me and finished it within the next hour (it's a super easy read). I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
I love that it highlights hope and the difference each one of us can make, even if our efforts seem small and insignificant - combined they truly can be great things, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" comes to mind.
I love that it highlights hope and the difference each one of us can make, even if our efforts seem small and insignificant - combined they truly can be great things, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" comes to mind.
August 6, 2009
We have had this book on the shelf forever and it was the swine flu that finally allowed us to read it aloud. It is a very sweet Christmas story. The edition we read has gorgeous pictures which were delightful. The book is hard to find but a blessing for a family library.
January 29, 2020
So beautiful. Now I want to go see if the rest of her works are this lovely.
December 21, 2023
Note to self- Sweet read for anytime, but especially good for Christmas. Recommended by RA.
December 28, 2021
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
As a child, Thomas Crandall sees from the window of a train a shantytown, and standing in it, a young boy who smiles and waves at him. The image of the boy makes such an impact on Thomas that it inspires him, as an adult, to become a builder and work to change the living conditions of those who live in such abject poverty. When he has the opportunity to meet Peter Marsh, a builder known for transforming the shantytown into a place called Peter's Landing, Thomas asks him about the shantytown, and the boy. A Tree for Peter is the story Peter Marsh tells him, of how a young boy with a physical disability (Peter) and a mysterious vagrant (King Peter) take the first steps toward transforming a depressed and fearful community into a place of joy and love.
This is a book which is intentionally sentimental and inspirational, so had it not been written by Kate Seredy, and had my husband not asked me to read it aloud to him, I might very well have skipped it. I usually feel that books like this try to manipulate the reader into having particular emotional reactions, rather than allowing the reader to have natural responses, and it irritates me when their happy endings feel too neatly resolved. Unlike contemporary examples of this type of book, however, A Tree for Peter is so well-written that the author does not have to manipulate me into the feelings she would like me to experience. She takes me there by her words - and pictures - alone.
The descriptions of Peter's lonely days in the shantytown alone while his mother works are very vivid, as are the moments he spends with King Peter, the vagrant who shares his name. Peter's problems are very real - at first, they seem nearly insurmountable - and Seredy doesn't take an easy way out in resolving them. Though King Peter is something of a magical figure in Peter's life, his overall influence on the shantytown is only made possible through Peter's hard work and faith in him, and the willingness of the community to set aside their fears and come together. The reader always has the sense that the story will end happily for everyone, but there are enough questions about how it will happen to keep him or her interested in continuing to read.
The illustrations, too, are appealing, at least to my adult sensibilities. As a kid, I probably would have glossed over them, but as an adult, I appreciate the story each one tells, and how full of emotion the figures' faces are. These are works of art, not just decorations for the story, and they help elevate the book a bit more beyond the usual sentimentality of stories of this type.
This slim novella can be read easily in one sitting, and because of its connections to Christmas, and its explicit religious references, it makes a nice read-aloud selection for Advent. It's also a great way to help kids develop empathy for those in difficult financial situations and living conditions, and to encourage them to think of ways they can be more like King Peter in their interactions with others.
As a child, Thomas Crandall sees from the window of a train a shantytown, and standing in it, a young boy who smiles and waves at him. The image of the boy makes such an impact on Thomas that it inspires him, as an adult, to become a builder and work to change the living conditions of those who live in such abject poverty. When he has the opportunity to meet Peter Marsh, a builder known for transforming the shantytown into a place called Peter's Landing, Thomas asks him about the shantytown, and the boy. A Tree for Peter is the story Peter Marsh tells him, of how a young boy with a physical disability (Peter) and a mysterious vagrant (King Peter) take the first steps toward transforming a depressed and fearful community into a place of joy and love.
This is a book which is intentionally sentimental and inspirational, so had it not been written by Kate Seredy, and had my husband not asked me to read it aloud to him, I might very well have skipped it. I usually feel that books like this try to manipulate the reader into having particular emotional reactions, rather than allowing the reader to have natural responses, and it irritates me when their happy endings feel too neatly resolved. Unlike contemporary examples of this type of book, however, A Tree for Peter is so well-written that the author does not have to manipulate me into the feelings she would like me to experience. She takes me there by her words - and pictures - alone.
The descriptions of Peter's lonely days in the shantytown alone while his mother works are very vivid, as are the moments he spends with King Peter, the vagrant who shares his name. Peter's problems are very real - at first, they seem nearly insurmountable - and Seredy doesn't take an easy way out in resolving them. Though King Peter is something of a magical figure in Peter's life, his overall influence on the shantytown is only made possible through Peter's hard work and faith in him, and the willingness of the community to set aside their fears and come together. The reader always has the sense that the story will end happily for everyone, but there are enough questions about how it will happen to keep him or her interested in continuing to read.
The illustrations, too, are appealing, at least to my adult sensibilities. As a kid, I probably would have glossed over them, but as an adult, I appreciate the story each one tells, and how full of emotion the figures' faces are. These are works of art, not just decorations for the story, and they help elevate the book a bit more beyond the usual sentimentality of stories of this type.
This slim novella can be read easily in one sitting, and because of its connections to Christmas, and its explicit religious references, it makes a nice read-aloud selection for Advent. It's also a great way to help kids develop empathy for those in difficult financial situations and living conditions, and to encourage them to think of ways they can be more like King Peter in their interactions with others.
February 5, 2025
An absolutely touching story. I found myself choked up reading it aloud to my children multiple times. I’m sure we will read this one several times in the years to come.
December 19, 2019
A beautiful Christmas read-aloud - poignant and tender.
January 17, 2023
A beautiful story. Read it last year on my own. This time as a read aloud with my boys.
May 6, 2021
Many years ago, I read a chapter from this delightful book in an old school reader called "Wide Open Windows". (My parents collected old school readers from yard sales and used book stores, and I loved reading them). I hadn't thought about the story in years, then I was looking in the old reader for a completely different selection, when my eyes landed on "Kate Seredy" at the bottom of a page. "Wait," I thought, "Kate Seredy wrote this lovely story about small Peter and King Peter? Newbery Medal winner Kate Seredy, of Good Master and White Stag fame?" That set me off on a search to find the entire book, which fortunately came up right away after a quick search for the author's name and "Peter". This book was a joy to read, start to finish. It was wonderful to find out the rest of the story, to see Peter bring beauty and hope to Shantytown. Seredy writes beautiful prose, and she illustrated her own books, too. Don't miss this book!
April 17, 2019
4+ stars. Lovely book with Christian overtones that cynical me wants to disparage, but since I cried happy tears I shan't. It's a book with two stories, one of Tommy, and one of Pete (primary protagonist). Pete is a lame child living in a shantytown/slum with his widowed mother who works 6 days a week as a laundress. They're squatters like all those around them. One day Pete meets another Pete and his life changes. He makes friends with a stray dog and an Irish cop, O'Flanaghan. Older Pete leaves his a spade and lame Pete with the policeman's help clears the debris from a bit of land and they plant a small square of grass and some flower bulbs. At Christmas Pete the Elder leaves a tree decorated with candles. The light draws out the other inhabitants and they begin to transform the shantytown. I read this for my 2019 Reading Challenge.
January 5, 2019
A dear friend who passed away April 2018, told me this was her favorite book of all time. She was an elementary school teacher for years. I finally got around to reading it and I think I get why it was one of her favorite books.
The artwork is lovely and the writing is very beautiful!
As a lot of the reviews said (paraphrase) "those reading the with cynical eyes of an adult might miss out on the magic of first experiencing this book as a child" and yes I get it. I can see that this book from a child's perspective would be very different.
For a while, I thought it might have been an allegory,and maybe it is, but it is basically about
1) a child shall lead them
2) Hope
3) Faith
4) Community Spirit!
A quick read that is worth reading!!
The artwork is lovely and the writing is very beautiful!
As a lot of the reviews said (paraphrase) "those reading the with cynical eyes of an adult might miss out on the magic of first experiencing this book as a child" and yes I get it. I can see that this book from a child's perspective would be very different.
For a while, I thought it might have been an allegory,and maybe it is, but it is basically about
1) a child shall lead them
2) Hope
3) Faith
4) Community Spirit!
A quick read that is worth reading!!
February 8, 2025
A sweet story of a poor little boy who meets a tramp? a saint? Jesus? And whose faith and trust are repaid with a miracle. It is a charming Christian story lent to me by a neighbor, who loved her 1966 copy from childhood. I was a new teenager that year.
I had it straight through and I was both charmed and unfortunately aware of what today would be thought of an old man gathering a little boy inside his coat. Aside from Peter's mother, you would not know girls existed. It's what I recall from children's books when I wa a child. The world was populated by boys and men and horses, mothers and sisters, roughly in that order.
I had it straight through and I was both charmed and unfortunately aware of what today would be thought of an old man gathering a little boy inside his coat. Aside from Peter's mother, you would not know girls existed. It's what I recall from children's books when I wa a child. The world was populated by boys and men and horses, mothers and sisters, roughly in that order.
October 16, 2017
This is a children's book, or so I thought. It is a story by a Hungarian storyteller and a beautiful one at that. I bought a bunch of Kate Seredy's books after talking to a relative who is of Hungarian parentage, as am I, but closer to her roots. It is a beautifully written story and I am glad that I read it. I plan to read her other books as well as I would really like my grandchildren to read stories like this and have more of an appreciation for their background and culture. This was a wonderful read and one that I would highly recommend to a young person.
August 2, 2020
After reading “The Good Master” and wanting to read more of Kate Seredy, we tried this book. Our children (age 11 & 8) did not enjoy this book, nor did I. The illustrations are detailed. The story is well written and descriptive. But somehow I walked away not really liking it. Made us all feel sad in most of the book..? Or bittersweet. The “Sunday feeling” Peter describes is a deep and bubbling joy, but still didn’t overcome the major sad feeling we had from the story. Maybe I missed the point?... or it was just reading it during Covid-time.
December 21, 2020
It's been decades since I've picked up a book by Kate Seredy, but I've never met one I didn't find delightful. A Tree for Peter (which I'm still not entirely sure that we should categorize as a Christmas book, but E insists that we do, so on the Christmas shelf it goes) is the story of a little boy, growing up in shantytown, who, with the help of a stranger, discovers a love for beauty and a dream for the future, inspiring the weary and broken-down around him. Definitely a book we will be revisiting in the future.
December 2, 2024
Are you in need of some hope and faith? Need a bit of the Christmas spirit? Need more appreciation for the good things you have in life? This little story may be simplistic, but it brings back some perspective on what really matters in life. It's a great read to share with a child, and then discuss what makes it a good story. We are never too old to bring some light and goodness into our lives and those around us.
Especially enjoy the illustrations of a tender, simple life of a little boy who brightens others' days.
Especially enjoy the illustrations of a tender, simple life of a little boy who brightens others' days.
August 16, 2019
I picked this up because I was looking for a quick read and this was sitting on the display at the library. It was a sweet story. Honestly, nothing spectacular and a little old-fashioned (albeit it is a very old story) but I liked the pictures and the way the story was broken up with illustrations done in ink. Not one I will likely remember in detail much in the future, but a nice light read anyway.
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