The Value Of Giving And Receiving Gifts
Author: Jo Witek
Illustrator: Christine Roussey
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 11, 2018)
Genre: Picture Book
Series: The Growing Hearts Series
- Hardcover: 30 pages (Casebound cardstock with flaps)
Description
There are many types of gifts. You can give a big, shiny, wrapped gift on Christmas morning, but you can also give the gifts of your help or your time. You can bake a cake for your parents or share what you learned in school with your little sister. You can help a friend unravel a knotty bracelet or smile at a stranger who looks sad. With a spirit of generosity, you’ll find you have many gifts to give to the world—and that giving can be even more fulfilling than receiving. Featuring a die-cut cover and interior flaps throughout, My Little Gifts celebrates the gift of giving.
The Growing Hearts series celebrates the milestones of a toddler’s emotional development, from conquering fears and expressing feelings to welcoming a new sibling.
(from the publisher)
My Thoughts:
A little girl takes us through the many ways of giving and receiving gifts by first having the reader open a gift (a flap on a page). She thanks the givers, Mom, and Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa and
“They smile, and their smiles make me happy, too, as if I’d gotten an extra gift, one that didn’t come in a shiny, wrapped box.”
Each spread has a lesson with a flap that adds interest to each illustration.
The girl shares her favorite gift with her sister. At recess, the kids swap trading cards and stickers as well as teach each other their favorite games. We then see that gifts can be handmade and that even learning can be a gift that is shared.
Other Books In The Series:
• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings (2014)
• Brave As Can Be: A Book of Courage (2015)
• All My Treasurers: A Book of Joy (2016)
• With My Daddy: A Book of Love and Family (April 2018)
• My Little Girls: A Book of Sharing (September 2018)
• My Tree And Me: A Book of Seasons (April 2019)
What Concerned Me:
This lift the flap book is ideal for younger children (with some supervision) or even older kids.
The flaps are not as sturdy as the thick board books made for toddlers.
What I Liked Most:
This little story has great talking points yet offers fun participation for little ones.
Though this is the first book I’ve read in this series, im sure I will be reviewing others.
The bright illustrations are very kid-friendly even though there’s lots of white space on each page.
Jo Witek is an author, journalist, and screenwriter who lives in France.
