The Smallest Gift of Christmas

PreS-Gr 2—There is little animation movement added to Peter H. Reynolds's spare illustrations in this video of his picture book (Candlewick, 2013). The main character, Roland, flies down the stairs on Christmas morning, and his rocket ship moves across space, for example. The author expressively narrates, portraying Roland as obnoxiously whiny when the young boy expresses his dissatisfaction with his initial tiny Christmas present. He wishes for a larger and larger one and ventures off into space to search for the biggest gift. When Roland views the tiny planet Earth from space, he realizes that "the smallest speck is the biggest gift," and he longs to be back with his family. The backgrounds are mostly beige and gray, making the red and green of Roland's scarf and pajamas stand out. Aside from the music at the beginning and end, sounds of footsteps and whispering add an extra dimension. Young viewers are likely to predict a bad end to Roland's increasing desire, and the illustration and narration build wonderfully to the climax when Roland realizes that the size of the gift is not as important as being with his family. Viewers will enjoy Roland's warm reunion with his family, but they may still be curious about what was in the original, small package.