Anna's Special Gift


Children - Picture Book
38 Pages
Reviewed on 05/29/2024
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Anna’s very excited. She’s been invited to her friend’s birthday party. The only problem is that her mother can’t afford to buy a birthday gift for Anna to give her friend. You can’t go to a birthday party without a gift, now can you? In Rachelle Layne’s Anna’s Special Gift, Anna chooses to give the best gift ever: a gift from the heart. She can’t take a new toy, but she can give her favorite toy. She’ll miss the ragged, torn doll she’s had all her life, but the joy of going to a party and sharing in her friend’s celebration is worth it. The only thing is, the other children don’t understand and they make fun of Anna. But her friend understands. You see, “Expensive, brand-new gifts/ are not always smart,/ because the best gifts/ come straight from the heart.”

Rachelle Layne’s picture book, Anna’s Special Gift, is a tender, sweet story about unselfish generosity. Told in rhyming verse and simple language so young readers can easily follow along, the plot follows Anna as she shares her excitement with her mother, learns that they can’t afford a gift so she can go, then Anna’s truly compassionate, unselfish idea of giving something of her own, something very special. The plot climaxes when Anna’s friend opens the gift and, after all the other children make fun of Anna, makes her own opinion known. The illustrations are bright, bold, and colorful and help move the story along. There is a Biblical verse at the end to heighten the lesson being shared. A beautiful story, well told. Loved it!

Mamta Madhavan

Anna's Special Gift by Rachelle Layne is the charming story of a little girl, Anna, who lives with her mother. Anna is very excited that day when she comes back from school. She has been invited to her friend's birthday party. When she tells her mother, she is very sad because she has no money to buy a birthday gift for Anna's friend. Their rent was due the next day and she tells Anna she cannot go because there is no money to buy a gift. Anna is in tears because this is the first birthday party she was invited to in years. Will Anna finally be able to buy a gift and attend her friend's birthday party?

This is a beautiful and heartwarming story of sharing, friendship, kindness, generosity, unselfishness, giving, and receiving. The illustrations are wonderful and they bring the concept alive and give the story a good fluidity and pace. Anna's character is real, lovable, and relatable and there is a lot children can learn from her. It is a beautiful storybook that can be used in classrooms for discussions and activities, and tutors will be able to show children the importance of sharing, giving, and receiving gifts with love and not being selfish. This book is also for all parents who find it difficult at times to make ends meet and this story conveys a good message to them as well. Messages and concepts are always clear and easy to understand when narrated through a story, just like this one.