Pick a Pine Tree with Patricia Toht
Author interview, salt dough ornaments, and more
Welcome back to Smarty Books, a newsletter featuring smart and sweet picture books to inspire young readers.
Update: Over the next few months I’ll be experimenting with a variety of content on Smarty Books with the goal of sustainability for my phase of life with young kids and work. The format and content might be a bit more fluid. Thanks for understanding!
December Picture Book Pick
This month’s book is Pick a Pine Tree (2017) by Patricia Toht (rhymes with “boat”). I discovered Pick a Pine Tree through one of Toht’s other books, Pick a Perfect Egg (2023), which became a family classic after one reading.
Pick a Pine Tree is the first book in a delightful series (all illustrated by Jarvis), that takes readers through the process of choosing a tree, pumpkin, or egg and making it into a treasured holiday emblem. They are all excellent rhyming picture books with gorgeous illustrations that capture the whole experience from A to Z.
What I love most about these books is the feeling I get while reading them. Admittedly, this isn’t very objective, but there’s something about Jarvis’s illustrations with the text that evoke an ethereal, nostalgic vibe. The books also tap into the feeling we have as creators when we embark on a new project—exciting possibilities.
Author Interview: Patricia Toht
Patricia graciously answered some questions about her process in a busy season! Thank you, Patricia!
SW: What was the genesis of Pick a Pine Tree?
PT: Years ago, I attended a poetry class hosted by poet Heidi Bee Roemer. Several of us formed a poetry group, and every month we shared batches of poems for critique. Pick a Pumpkin was actually written first, which began as a short poem about visiting a pumpkin patch. With the group's encouragement, I grew the poem to encompass the entire process of transforming a plain pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. I was happy with how that text turned out and wondered if another holiday included a similar transformation. With a focus on Christmas, I followed the same pattern, writing about how to turn a pine tree into a Christmas tree. Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin were sold together as companion books and were published two years apart.
SW: What did you enjoy most about working on it?
PT: I loved mining the memories from my childhood Christmases and watching my children enjoy the same activities. During each step of tree trimming, I tried to capture every detail and enjoy every moment. Notes in hand, I wrote a kind of "primer" for decorating a tree. Christmas is our family's favorite holiday, so this book feels very special to me.
SW: What's next for you?
PT: Will I write another "Pick a" book? Perhaps. I do have a few ideas rumbling around in the back of my brain. But up next are two early chapter books about a squirrel and a hedgehog. The main characters, Vicky and June, are the best of friends, even though their personalities are so different. Vicky and June: Friends at Play will arrive in the spring, and Vicky and June: Friends in Bloom will follow the next year. The illustrations by Hoang Giang are adorable!
SW: Writing in rhyme is so challenging for me. How did you learn how to do it? What do you do when you get stuck?
PT: Writing in rhyme can be quite a challenge! I've worked hard to learn how to do it better. A key part of that process was to write lots of poems. I've written hundreds of them! I've also taken classes and read craft books. When I get stuck, I turn to two of my friends who are rhymers -- Michelle Schaub and Eileen Meyer. A few years ago, we decided to form a critique service called the Rhyme Doctors. We help others with their rhyme, meter, and story elements. And we've discovered that helping others keeps our skills sharp!
SW: The artwork by Jarvis is stunning in all of your books. Can you describe the process of finding an illustrator and the amount of input you had?
PT: Jarvis is a brilliant artist! His style is so warm and nostalgic. I'm lucky to have collaborated with him on four books. People are often surprised to hear that we've never met, and we've only spoken together once! Our publisher, Walker Children's Books, paired us together. That's how it works most often -- authors and illustrators do not meet each other! As an author, you have to trust that the illustrator will work magic with your words. And Jarvis has consistently done that. Every time I've seen the first copy of our books, I've shed a tear of joy. His illustrations elevate the books, every time!
Connect with Patricia on her website or on social media at the following links. Instagram: @patricia.toht, Twitter: @PatriciaToht, Bluesky: @patriciatoht.bsky.social
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Creative at Home Activity
My speaking topic at The Mom Co. last month was “Creative at Home: Fostering a Creative Life with Kids,” and I’ve realized that helping others access creative living is one of my core values. The new “Creative at Home” section of the newsletter is an art, food, or gardening-based activity to try with kids. It’s a launching point for bringing more creativity into your life with your children, grandchildren, or other kids in your orbit.
The activity to try for December is making salt dough ornaments. This is a favorite in our house that my daughters look forward to. The ornaments make great gifts for teachers, family, and friends. Check out this dough recipe and the gorgeous inspirational examples made by my friend and the illustrator of Our Food Grows, Tessa Gibbs. Use your own Christmas cookie cutters or the shapes in the template Tessa provides.
Art Night!
Along a similar vein of cultivating creativity, my mom, Roann Mathias, and I are hosting another art night on Wednesday, December 4th. We’ll be making holiday gift tags using marbled paper, beginning hand lettering, and basic watercolor. Sign up here for some creative, skill-building fun.
Interested in learning a specific technique or skill? Reply to this email with your class ideas for 2025.
Thank you for being here! Happy reading until we meet again.
—Sarah White
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