The First Christmas Tree

Ovila Fontaine & Charlotte Parent

It’s very cold in the Far North. Winter is difficult for the Innu. Among the trees of the forest, the Grand-Manitu, great spirit of good, seeks the one tree that will bring joy to all.
Could it be the larch, with which the Innu make sleds, bows or ointments? Or the birch, malleable and robust? Or maybe the magnificent black spruce?
“Do you want to become the Christmas tree?”, the Grand-Manitu asks everyone. But one after another, the trees decline his offer. All… except one, whom the Grand-Manitu had at first ignored…
This tale, with an instant classic feel, and linking two traditions, is adapted from an oral story by the author Ovila Fontaine and beautifully illustrated by Charlotte Parent.

Ovila Fontaine is an Innu from the community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, where he has always lived and worked. Very early on, he became interested in hunting and life in the forest. As a father, he embarked on a quest for his history and his culture. Today, Ovila is a great lecturer, skilled in explaining to the uninitiated the basics of the Innu culture and philosophies. He is often asked to act as a cultural intermediary with organizations.

Charlotte Parent is a young talent based in Montréal. This is her second picture book.