he 1970's, it was tradition in the Southern Appalachian Mountains for families to find a thorn bush when they went into the mountains to cut their Christmas tree. They would decorate the sharp spires with colorful gumdrops for the children to enjoy. THE GUMDROP TREE is the story of a young girl who wanted to find the tallest, fattest, most beautiful Christmas tree of anyone in her town. It had to be very special. In this tale, Susie takes a long time to pick out the perfect tree for her family. After the tree stands in the corner with its shinny decorations, her mother sends her next door with a food basket for an elderly neighbor. Susie is very reluctant to leave her beautiful tree. Upon arriving at the neighbor's house, Susie discovers the scraggly branch that that Miss Martha calls her Christmas tree. On her way home, she tries to figure out what she can do so that the elderly lady can have a colorful tree. THE GUMDROP TREE is written for children from the age of 4 to 13. It teaches that sometimes it does not take the tallest, fattest, most beautifully decorated Christmas tree to be special.