The Christmas Gift: El regalo de Navidad

by Francisco Jimenez, Claire B. Cotts (Illustrator)

Overview

With honesty and grace, award-winning author Francisco Jiménez shares his most poignant Christmas memory in this beautifully illustrated picture book. As Christmas approaches, Panchito can’t wait to see what present he gets. But on Christmas Day, he is disappointed when all he gets is a bag of candy, until he sees the gift his father gives his mother. Panchito then realizes that gifts of the heart are the most precious of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547529806
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/22/2008
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD840L (what's this?)
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Francisco Jim nez emigrated from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, to California, where he worked for many years in the fields with his family. He received both his master s degree and his Ph.D. from Columbia University and is now chairman of the Modern Languages and Literature Department at Santa Clara University, the setting of much of Reaching Out. He is the award-winning author of The Circuit, Breaking Through, La Mariposa, and his newest novel, Reaching Out. He lives in Santa Clara, California, with his family.

Read an Excerpt

"Most of us have a favorite Christmas story to tell. The Christmas Gift is a true story, based on an experience I had as a child many years ago. It took place in a farm labor tent camp . . ."

Text Copyright © 2000 by Francisco Jimenez Illustrations Copyright © 2000 by Claire B. Cotts

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-This poignant first-person tale told from the perspective of a young boy recalls one particularly desolate holiday spent on a migrant farm in Corcoran, California. Panchito wants a red ball for Christmas more than anything in the world, but he understands the family is broke. He is disappointed when he receives his one gift, a bag of candy, on Christmas morning. But he recalls the sight of his mother weeping the night before as she tenderly wrapped his gift. His father's gift to his mother, an embroidered handkerchief purchased for a dime from another down-and-out migrant, fills Panchito's heart with tenderness. The beautiful illustrations are done in a naif style, yet Cotts succeeds at infusing the characters with great expression, aptly portraying the emotions of the tale.
—Maria Otero-Boisvert, "Criticas" Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Criticas

The family’s odyssey is heartrending, but it is the truth, and it’s skillfully told by someone who’s been there.”—Rudolfo Anaya, author of BLESS ME, ULTIMA

"Told both in English and in Spanish, this bittersweet tale is base on an incident from Jiménez’s childhood in a family of migrant farm workers." —Publishers Weekly, starred review 9/25/00 Publishers Weekly, Starred

"A touching holiday offering, with an emphasis on family love and sharing." —School Library Journal School Library Journal

From the Publisher