The Gift is a heartfelt children’s bedtime story created by the father-and-son team of Paul and Nathaniel Lara. With child-like illustrations and simple text, The Gift tells the warm and inspiring story of how God answered the prayers of a childless couple with the gift of a baby. This gentle tale celebrates family, love and faith. And all children are fascinated by their own personal creation myths.
The story is simple. Shortly after marrying, a husband and wife decide they want nothing more than a new baby. To get ready for baby’s arrival, the parents-to-be joyfully decorate baby’s room. But years and years go by, and a baby doesn’t appear. Only when the couple prays and promises God to love their child with their whole hearts does a baby finally complete their family.
The love that inspired the making of this book echoes on every page. That said, the text would benefit from polish. Young children love repeating rhymes and word play. More care could be taken here to strengthen the story’s structure by enhancing rhyme and vocabulary. For example, are “pinches” universally considered fun horse play? Is there a better word choice? Punctuation errors also detract, particularly in passages of dialogue.
Young Nathaniel’s illustrations are vibrant, with a comic, homemade feel. But why is the art on the cover of the book different from the rest of the story? A more consistent and mature design would better serve this project if it’s to become more than a much-cherished family heirloom.
Also available in hardcover.
