Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" by Robert Barry is a charming holiday story that follows the journey of a majestic Christmas tree and the joy it brings to various characters. Mr. Willowby, a wealthy man, receives a towering tree that is too tall for his parlor. He asks his butler to trim off the top and discard it, setting off a chain of events. The top of the tree becomes a special Christmas tree for the mice, then a cozy home for a family of bears, and so on. As the tree is passed down from one character to another, it brings happiness and festive cheer to each recipient. With its delightful illustrations and rhythmic text, the book emphasizes the spirit of generosity, community, and the joy of giving during the holiday season. "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" is a heartwarming tale that reminds readers of the magic of Christmas and the importance of sharing and spreading joy.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Have students practice their questioning skills as you read the book.
- Have students sequence the important events in the story. This is an important skill when it comes to retelling a story.
- Analyze the illustrations in the story. Discuss how they provide meaning that the words might not.
- Teach students how contractions are used.
- Introduce and act out action verbs.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- As Cool As It Gets by Jory John
- Dasher: How a Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares
- Elf by David Berenbaum
- Madeline's Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
- Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
- The Christmas Owl by Gideon Sterer
- The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Crayons' Christmas by Drew Daywalt
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
