The Lost Gift: A Christmas Story
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Lost Gift is a sweet, appealing picture book about four cute forest critters who retrieve and deliver a present that falls from Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Its simple tale and colorful illustrations offer gentle messages about kindness, teamwork, and taking the trouble to make someone else happy -- even when you don't have to.
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What's the Story?
The story of THE LOST GIFT begins as Rabbit, Squirrel, Bird, and Deer gather on a snowy hilltop on Christmas Eve to watch for Santa's sleigh passing overhead. But just as St. Nick and the reindeer fly past, a gust of wind catches the sleigh, dropping a present into the snow below, and the four friends rush to check it out. Luckily, Bird can read the gift tag, so they know it's meant for the "New Baby at The Farm." So, despite being cold, hungry, and up way past their bedtime, they're soon dashing through the snow to make the delivery.
Is It Any Good?
Author Kallie George and illustrator Stephanie Graegin deliver an engaging Christmas tale with plenty of positive messages as four animal friends help Santa by delivering a gift that's gone astray. The charming, colorful illustrations make the characters engaging and the setting attractive, and provide plenty of opportunity for exploration with the read-aloud set. Meanwhile, the story offers lots of positive messages about kindness, teamwork, and taking the trouble to make someone else happy, even when it's "not our baby."
"The animals moved slowly now. It was long past their bedtimes. They were hungry and tired and ready to give up. Maybe Squirrel was right, thought Rabbit. It wasn't their baby.
"Then Rabbit thought of Santa. Santa traveled all night long. He was probably hungry and tired too. But Santa would not give up."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Santa stories. What does The Last Gift tell us about Santa and his work? What are some of your other favorite Santa stories?
Have you ever tried to stay awake and see Santa make his delivery? What happened?
Have you ever done something just to make someone else happy? What did you do? How did the person like it?
Book Details
- Author: Kallie George
- Illustrator: Stephanie Graegin
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Friendship, Holidays, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
- Publication date: October 18, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 18, 2017
Our Editors Recommend
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Little Santa
Cute origin story shows how Santa met elves and reindeer.
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Santa Claus and the Three Bears
Beautiful art enhances holiday twist on classic fairy tale.
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The Christmas Magic
Enchanting, soulful portrait of Santa.
For kids who love Christmas stories
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