THE CHRISTMAS PINE: a magical story for Christmas by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and Stick Man

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The shortleaf pine is a type of yellow pine tree similar to the longleaf pine, only with shorter needle leaves. The Japanese black pine is identified by its flat-topped, pyramidal habit with an irregular, spreading crown and drooping branches.

Different types of pine trees grow in many different environments, such as cold regions in North America, rain forests, and hot, sandy deserts. The bristlecone pine tree is one of the longest-living pines in the mountains of western United States. High-quality Monterey pine wood products include flooring, fence posts, and indoor wooden structures.The pine is identified by needles that are 3” to 6” (8 – 15 cm) long and brown ovoid cones measuring 3” to 6” (8 – 15 cm). The gray pine tree has easily identifiable features that include sizable rounded pine cones, long pale grayish-green needles in fascicles of three, sparse leaf growth, and a conic crown that leans to one side.

Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY! Cones from the longleaf pine species measure about 6” to 10” (15 – 25 cm) long and are reddish-brown. Native to the southwest United States, the Arizona pine can be identified by its yellow-green needles growing in bundles of three to five.Deep in a snowy wood stands a little pine tree with a special destiny: when it grows up, it’s going to be the famous Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square!