On the first Christmas after Mr. Crockett moves into his brownstone house, the scraggy little potted pine tree makes a poor showing in his window compared to the bushy ornamented Christmas trees of his neighbors. And the neighbors are shocked. They are even more shocked when, the following spring, Mr. Crockett plants the small ugly tree in front of his house. As the seasons go by, the lonely little man cares for his tree, warming it with hay in winter and watering it in summer. He puts out crumbs for the winter and summer birds until more and more birds come to feed and sing around the growing pine. Years later on Christmas Day, the neighbors discover the joy of Mr. Crockett's secret: living things need love. The illustrations evoke the warmth of this gentle, human story. 

From the dust jacket