Annie Ayres (Booklist, November 1, 1994 (Vol. 91, No. 5))
Five-year-old Pablo can hardly wait to see how Abuelito, his grandfather, has decorated Pablo's tree for his birthday. When Mama 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 Mama 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 Tia (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. Category: For the Young. 1994, Macmillan, $14.95. Ages 4-8.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 1994)
Five-year-old Pablo tries to guess how his grandfather Lito will decorate the tree he planted to celebrate Pablo's adoption as an infant. One year the little tree was covered with balloons and another with paper lanterns. As part of Pablo's birthday celebration, Lito recounts the story of the tree, which is actually the loving tale of how he and Pablo's Mamá planned and waited for Pablo. Spanish words and phrases are incorporated into the text's flow, adding substance to the Mexican-American people and setting depicted. This warm, joyous books is illustrated with images created with cut paper and dyes. CCBC categories: Seasons And Celebrations; Books For Babies And Toddlers. 1994, Macmillan, 32 pages, $14.95. Ages 2-5.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1994)
It's Pablo's birthday, and he's ready for his birthday visit to his grandfather Lito's house, where Lito has decorated a special tree in Pablo's honor. Pablo's tree was planted when his mother adopted him. It was put in a special place -- not in the front yard (where it was too noisy), not in the rose garden (where there were too many thorns), but in a quiet spot in the sun. Each year on Pablo's birthday, Lito picks something different with which to decorate it -- streamers, colored balloons, paper lanterns, tiny birdcages. This birthday it is festooned with chimes. Pablo and Lito celebrate the day by munching apples and listening to the music the wind makes blowing through Pablo's tree. Pablo looks forward to next year's decoration, which Lito assures him will be yet another surprise. Though this is a charming story about a particularly joyful Mexican-American birthday tradition, the text wanders. Still, Mora's (A Birthday Book for Tie, 1992) depiction of family relations is warm and heartfelt, and Lang's densely colored cutouts capture the mood beautifully. Meandering but moving. 1994, Macmillan, $14.95. © 1994 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

A. Braga (Parent Council Volume 2)
A birthday tree! What a neat concept! Pablo tells of his own birthday tradition exposing the reader to another culture's way of celebrating a birthday. Birthdays are big events among young ones, so this book is certain to be deemed a hit! 1994, Macmillan Children's Book Group, $14.95. Ages 3 to 8.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 1994 (Vol. 48, No. 1))
It's Pablo's fifth birthday, and he's eager to get to his grandfather's house. Every year his abuelito decorates a tree in celebration of his grandson's birthday, with the type of decoration a surprise. After Pablo and his mama arrive at Abuelito's and find his tree (decorated with bells and windchimes this year), Pablo's grandfather tells him again the story of the planting of Pablo's tree, which occurred when Pablo's mother first adopted Pablo. This is a warm and gentle story, the tree-surprise aspect gives the tale a pleasing sparkle, and the characters provide a nice complement to all the WASP-y, Norman Rockwell families in adoption books-the family is Latino, and Mom is a single parent. The cut-paper illustrations are decorative but unfussy, with abundant flowers and Pablo's tree providing a cheerful liveliness to the compositions. A tale of love and welcome (and neat ornaments), this volume has a celebratory aspect that makes it appealing not just to adoptees but to kids generally. R--Recommended. Reviewed from galleys (c) Copyright 1994, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1994, Macmillan, [32p], $14.95. Ages 4-7 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1994)
Each year for Pablo's birthday, his 'abuelito' decorates a special tree for him and repeats the story of his special tree. The grandfather bought the tree when Pablo's mother announced her intention of adopting a baby. He nurtured the little tree carefully until the day his new grandson arrived, when it was finally time to plant it. The cut-paper collage illustrations create a suitable match for a loving and celebratory story. Category: Fiction. 1994, Simon and Schuster, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.