Mark Edgar Stephens

The Very Best Christmas Tree EVER! Mark Edgar Stephens

Zoey wants to be the very best Christmas tree in the whole wide world, but the holiday season isn't going anything like she'd planned. Before Christmas Day comes and goes, Zoey needs to be adopted by people whose love will bring to her the most rare of all Christmas magic! This book was inspired by a question that was asked by a very concerned 10-year old girl named, Zoey, "What happens to Christmas trees that are not adopted by Christmas day?" The author's work with non-profit groups like Upward Bound House (homeless families in Los Angeles County) and KidSave (adoption program for older children) provide essential elements that find their way into this story about self-esteem and being of purpose and the true magic of Christmas. This book has been recognized as a winner of the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards in the Holiday category. It has also received positive reviews from GoodReads and other online book sites. The story has been adapted into a stage play for children's theater receiving its first production in December of 2018. It has also been adapted as an animated screenplay and was accepted into the Kids First Film Festival for 2018-2019.