THE GIFT

A straightforward and winsome translation of an award-winning picture book from Spain. Mikie’s mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents, are sitting in their Thinking Chair, trying to figure out what to give him. They finally ask him, and Mikie has ideas: he wants it to be big, strong, soft, warm, and to make him fly. For each attribute, Mikie’s parents clutch each other (or hold hands, or even fall over) and think of items to fit the description, counting a bowl of candy and a weightlifter among them. On Mikie’s birthday, the stymied Goodparents give him a great big hug, which is soft, warm, sweet, etc. The characters have the thick outline and geometric shape of woodcuts, and a silvery background that sets off the colors nicely. Each page has Mikie’s description on one page, his parents on the facing page, and their perception of what he wants inside a gatefold page. It’s fun to read and reread, is delightful without being simpering, and will have children guessing to the end. (Picture book. 3-7)