The Most Precious Gift [Hardcover]

Marty Crisp (Author), Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Across the great desert the caravan follows the eastern star, in search of the newborn king. And at the rear young Ameer trails sadly behind. What gift, he wonders, can one so poor possibly give? Certainly nothing that might compare with the fine tributes of a merchant, or the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of kings. Not even Ameer’s beloved dog Ra can give him any comfort. But in Bethlehem they find a king like none before. And to everyone’s astonishment, though Ameer has no jewels or marvels to present, his gift of the heart outshines them all.

Floyd Cooper’s glowing artwork captures the quiet brilliance of the first Christmas story with renewed beauty. This unique telling of the Nativity, as experienced through the eyes of a child, will warm the heart with the true spirit of the holiday.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Ameer is a poor, third-assistant kennel keeper traveling in his king's caravan to visit the Christ child. Arriving in Bethlehem, he feels ashamed of having no gift to give and decides to wait outside the stable instead of going in to view the newborn. In the chaos of the moment, however, he is swept along by the crowd and into the presence of the holy family. Inspired by the serenity he feels, he resolves to give the only thing that is precious to him–his dog and best friend, Ra. The king advises against it, but Mary praises Ameer for his sacrifice, calling it the most precious gift of all. As a result, the boy's life is blessed, Ra sees Jesus and his family safely to Egypt, and, over time, the Christmas star fades and is replaced by the Dog Star. This touching story is simply yet elegantly told. Cooper's artwork is finely rendered and evocative. The grainy textures complement the desert scenery and provide a fitting dreamlike quality that is well suited to the text. This lovely book will help balance collections heavy with holiday frippery.–Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The story is a familiar one. A young boy is on his way to see the baby Jesus but has no gift to bring. Here the boy is Ameer, the third assistant kennel keeper, who is following the caravan of his merchant master with his dog, Ra, whom he rescued as a pup. What exactly Ameer is doing on this particular journey is never really made clear, but both Crisp's heartfelt story and Cooper's soft-edged artwork capture his yearning to honor the baby in appropriate fashion. In the end, Ameer decides to give up his beloved dog to the child, and listeners may be surprised that Mary and Joseph accept the gift, which is so dear to Ameer. Cooper's art utilizes night colors highlighted by golds and browns to tell the story, in which all the major characters appear to be of African descent. An intriguing author's note describes the fact that a white dog is repeatedly portrayed in fourteenth- through sixteenth-century Nativity paintings, which were the impetus for Crisp's story. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (September 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242961
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242960
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,701,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good story, January 13, 2008

By 

Garth W. Brown - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Most Precious Gift (Hardcover)

I would recommend this book, it is an enjoyable story of the Nativity, and well written. The drawings are nice to look at for children and adults.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too crowded, January 2, 2010

By 

Melissa Foote - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Most Precious Gift (Hardcover)

This book tells the tale of a small boy giving his only possession in the world to the baby Jesus. There were two facets of the story that I didn't like. Foremost was the image the author presents of the three wise men travelling in a caravan of hundreds, with each person bringing a gift for baby Jesus. There is a line of visitors from the stable into the city and a "bouncer" is present at the stable door. This crowd waiting in line to see the infant Jesus really detracts from the peacefulness present in other Nativity stories. In addition, the author has one of the wise men object to the boy giving his only possession to Jesus, which makes it seem as though this king (who travelled hundreds of miles to find the baby Jesus) really doesn't think Jesus is worthwhile.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Christmas books ever, January 22, 2009

By 

L. Kim (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Most Precious Gift (Hardcover)

This is such a lovely book. It tells the sweetest, most heart wrenching story. I cried in the bookstore the first time I read it, and can't read it to my kids without crying more. It is so beautiful, what Christmas is all about.