With simple text and bright cut-paper art, 'Pablo's Tree' captures the special relationship between grandparent and child. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Ages 4-8. Five-year-old Pablo can hardly wait to see how Abuelito, his grandfather, has decorated Pablo's tree for his birthday. When Mam{ }a first told her father that she was going to adopt a baby and name it after him if it were a boy, Lito went out and bought the tree for his grandson. He moved the tree from place to place and watered it, but he waited to plant it until the day that Mam{ }a finally brought Pablo home. And every year since then, Lito has decorated the tree for Pablo's birthday. For his first, Lito hung colored streamers on the tree. For his second, Lito tied balloons. For his third, it was paper lanterns, and last year, it was birdcages. What will it be this year? As in A Birthday Basket for T{¡}ia (1992), Mora and Lang tell a story that focuses on the special relationship between a child and an older person within a Hispanic family. Boldly cut and bright with detailing accents, Lang's clever cut-paper collages fill each page like a photo album with picture after picture of a family history that sparkles with love and a sense of belonging. A lovely and resonant picture book that, like the tree that Pablo discovers decked with bells and wind chimes, rings with happiness and family love. (Reviewed November 1, 1994)0027674010Annie Ayres From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.