Just One Gift
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Exploring themes of community and gratitude, Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park captures the diverse voices of a lively classroom discussion in a thought-provoking story told through linked poems: Love that Dog meets Seedfolks!
The assignment: If you could give someone special in your life a present—just one gift—who would you choose, and what would it be? Discuss. Certain students know their answers right away. A few find their answers more slowly. And while some responses spark lively conversation, others are revealed only in the privacy of journal pages. But all of the choices are as heartfelt as they are unexpected.
In accessible verse that highlights transformative moments of connection, Linda Sue Park celebrates the ways—big and small, obvious and unanticipated—our lives are enriched by the people we encounter. Robert Sae-Heng contributes black-and-white art to this eloquent stand-alone read that is also a welcomed companion to the popular The One Thing You’d Save.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This slim collection of poems, a companion to Park and Sae-Heng's previous collaboration The One Thing You'd Save, both inspired by Korean sijo verse, invites readers to reflect deeply about the needs and desires of people in their lives. After drawing from a hat the word family, friend, or a question mark that represents "other," Ms. Chang's students must choose someone they know who fits in that category. Told to consider "if you could give that person just one gift, what would it be?" the youth mut then pick something that the person has never asked for. Following initial confusion, the children brainstorm: a yard for a plant-loving dad, a vacation for a couple who owns a 24-hour convenience store, plane tickets for a grandparent to visit their grandchild in Nepal, and—in a private journal entry—a promise to support an older sister who recently confided in the writer that she "likes likes" girls. While the racially diverse characters' individual voices aren't often distinct, the loose sijo format makes each page approachable, creating an easy-to-digest, poignant presentation that effectively engages readers. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.
