The Letter on the Tree

New York: Harper & Row, Publishers - Weekly Reader Children's Book Club, 1964. First Edition . Hard Back. Very Good. 7" X 9. Kaufman, John. 116 Pages. Very light wear to the bottom and top of the spine and the bottom front corner has been very lightly bumped. No other defects noted and the interior text pages are flawless. This is the story of a French-Canadian boy who meets Americans. The story is written in first person as a young boy about eight or nine. They live in Canada on a small dairy farm. Most of all Bebert wants an accordion for Christmas, and writes a letter to Santa asking for one. The book is illustrated with a double page background drawing on the title page by John Kaufmann plus there are 15 more Kaufmann drawings throughout. Kaufmann also did the wrap-around covers. The last drawing in the book is Bebert playing the accordion. Natalie Savage Carlson was born in Winchester, Virginia, and spent three years of her early childhood on a farm in Maryland. Her father was a circus enthusiast and trained her, six sisters, and a brother to perform on the trapeze, the tight rope, and on horseback. When she was eleven, her family moved to California. She has written 12 other children's books including three stories about Orphelines (French word for orphans) and Carnival In Paris. She and her husband, a naval officer, travelled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.