THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT IN THE WORLD

In this Spanish import, a little mouse searches for the perfect gift.

Tucked in a burrow of cozy leaves, a mouse frets: Mommy’s “special day” is coming up soon, but the little one still doesn’t have a present to give her. Buoyed by fortitude, the youngster marches out the next morning, determined to find something wonderful. First, our young narrator finds a luscious pine cone, filled with pine nuts. Happily, the mouse rolls it along, but on the bouncy journey home, the pine cone is destroyed. “I can’t give my mom a squished and battered pine cone like this,” the little one moans. Then our hero discovers a beautiful red poppy. But as the mouse joyfully bounds home, all the petals fall off. One by one, each sweet, thoughtful gift proves lacking, and the protagonist despairs. Luckily, Mommy already has the best gift of all—her little mouse. Hints of Juan Bobo’s folkloric foibles echo through the narrative but are softened; this hero is marked by sincere eagerness rather than foolishness, and the whole story is suffused in familial love. Tender greens and browns fill the meadow, adding to an overall tone of comforting gentleness. Snails, ladybugs, and other friends are fun to spot along the way.

An earnest, utterly sweet look at love.