Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The True Gift: A Christmas Story
All year long Lily and Liam look forward to Christmas on their grandparents' farm. It's always the perfect trip -- walking to the lilac library, trimming the tree, giving gifts. But this year, thanks to a white cow alone in the meadow, things will be different. This Christmas, Lily and Liam will find out the meaning of a true gift.
From one of our most beloved authors comes...more
From one of our most beloved authors comes...more
ebook, 96 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
(first published September 14th 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
277)
Patricia MacLachlan's soft, endlessly gentle writing style has always seemed to be the perfect potential vehicle by which to tell a Christmas tale. After decades of producing some of the most enduring classics of our time in the realms of both picture books and chapter books, Patricia MacLachlan has given us just such a holiday story.
Liam is a wonder. He views the word around him with the eyes of a true artist, gauging the depths of the feelings of those he comes in contact with and allowing h...more
Liam is a wonder. He views the word around him with the eyes of a true artist, gauging the depths of the feelings of those he comes in contact with and allowing h...more
Well, I kept meaning to read this book since it came out as it is in my library, after all. So at long last, I just sat down during a quiet evening shift and read it cover to cover, enjoying Floca's illustrations nearly as much as MacLachlan's writing.
Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised by the ending but my mushy old heart was truly touched. I had to leave the desk and hide for a while as I have been cursed with one of those complexions that turns deep red and stays red for a long time after...more
Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised by the ending but my mushy old heart was truly touched. I had to leave the desk and hide for a while as I have been cursed with one of those complexions that turns deep red and stays red for a long time after...more
1 like · like · see review
view 2 comments
I can't remember the last time a children's book made me cry. I know it has happened, but not for a while. Until I read this book. Had I not been at work when I was reading it, I would have had tears streaming down my face. In a good way, of course.
Lily and Liam are staying with their grandparents for Christmas, as they do every year. This year, when they arrive they discover that the donkey that used to live in the barn with White Cow has moved to another farm, leaving White Cow all alone. Liam...more
Lily and Liam are staying with their grandparents for Christmas, as they do every year. This year, when they arrive they discover that the donkey that used to live in the barn with White Cow has moved to another farm, leaving White Cow all alone. Liam...more
Everybody who crafts a Christmas story wants it to be the next classic. I'm not sure if this book quite reaches that status, but it is good. "The True Gift" is the story of a brother and sister who are sent for a Christmas vacation on their grandparents' farm. The younger of the two, Liam, is heartbroken when he realizes the farm's single cow, White Cow, is lonely. So he sets out to change that. The story is very quick, it can probably be read to a child in a single bedtime reading session. The...more
I admire MacLachlan's ability to really use language carefully to craft a story. This is a sweet and simple tale of a boy who wants to help a lonely cow. While visiting his grandparents farm for their annual pre-Chirstmas visit, Lily and Liam notice that the white cow is without his companion the donkey. Liam sets out to find a friend for him, by placing notices all around town which results in a wonderful conclusion.
The one disconnect I had was that the story is so sweet and old-fashioned I th...more
The one disconnect I had was that the story is so sweet and old-fashioned I th...more
Nov 02, 2009
Chelsea
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade-fiction
Ok, so it's sentimental and a little contrived, but I admit I got that warm fuzzy feeling from this simple story. Two remarkably literate kids spend the weeks leading up to Christmas with their grandparents - Liam, the younger brother, decides that the White Cow on their grandparents' farm is lonely and sets out to find her a friend. Of course, everything works out wonderfully and there's even a little surprise at the end. The kids have their moments of normality and authenticity that save them...more
Dec 26, 2011
Kathryn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kathryn by:
Abigail A.
A brother and sister go to stay with their grandparents for Christmas, just like always. But, this year, their grandparents' cow, White Cow, is all alone in the field because the donkey who used to graze with her has gone back to her family. Young Liam feels a connection with White Cow and senses that she is lonely and he wants to do something to help her. Even if it means spending less time at the beautiful "Lilac Library" (where the children usually love to go during the Christmas holiday), ev...more
2 likes · like · see review
I've enjoyed this author in a couple other children's novels. This one struck me as contrived. What boy carries dozens of books to grandma's farm at Christmas, then sells them to make sure a cow has company for the holiday? Maybe if there had been some fantastic bits here and there: talking cow, fairy milkmaid, angels in the barn? Maybe then I'd have read it to my boys. Didn't ring true nor having much to do with Christmas.
Dec 06, 2009
Regina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christmas,
what-i-m-reading-to-my-kids
I thought I wouldn't like this, the cow on the cover didn't interest me much, but I did. It is a short, plain story just like Sarah, Plain and Tall, but it is amazing because MacLachlan uses each and every word on the page purposefully to create a lilting rythm that is a pleasure to read and to listen too. It is like a lullabye or poetry. And of course, my kids loved the sweet story!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
MacLachlan here writes a Christmas story about a brother and sister who find the meaning of Christmas through helping a cow - yup, a cow - lead a less lonely life. MacLachlan is always a dependable writer, and this book is a good selection for kids in grades 3-5 looking for a Christmas story, but there isn't a whole lot of "there" there in this slim little Christmas book.
While it has an okay and uplifting story line for kids, I thought it was poorly written. Not as good as you would expect from an author that was previously a recipient of the Newbery Medal. I wouldn't recommend reading, as I think there are much better books for young kids. It is a quick read... it has 81 pages, but I read it in about 10 minutes.
This was a little silly. Some children think their grandparents cow was lonely so they pool thier Christmas money to buy another cow.
The all the neighbors bring their cows by so the cow doesn;t have to be alone on Christmas?
The only good thing is that the kids really like books but their love for books is so over written it seems fake.
The all the neighbors bring their cows by so the cow doesn;t have to be alone on Christmas?
The only good thing is that the kids really like books but their love for books is so over written it seems fake.
I did not care for this brief book, which I read aloud to my daughter. The characters, and the brother/sister relationship at the center of the book, did not ring true, and the climactic Christmas Eve surprise seemed very improbable. (I have no particular fondness for cows, which probably removes me from the intended audience for this book.)
Aw, White Cow! I guess I don't get Patricia MacLachlan's thought processes (SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL was also a little beyond me), because I didn't 100% get the narrator's...weird...reservations about all these different things. But the ending was heartwarming and that's mostly what I was looking for in a Christmas book this year.
Dec 23, 2010
Amy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
christmas-stories
I'm a sucker for a good tear-jerker, especially when it's by Patricia MacLachlan.
A small boy wants to give a big white cow a gift for Christmas--a friend. What starts as a wish grows to encompass not just a few people, but an entire small town. A must-read for this holiday season (and a quick read as well)!
A small boy wants to give a big white cow a gift for Christmas--a friend. What starts as a wish grows to encompass not just a few people, but an entire small town. A must-read for this holiday season (and a quick read as well)!
A brother and sister spend Christmas with their grandparents. The grandparent's white cow is lonely, but no one seems to notice except Liam. Let's just say Liam gave White Cow a true gift. It's a quick read but a good one. Very appropriate for young readers.
Delightful and whimsical read with a different slant to Christmas gift giving. Touches on the lonliness of this season mixed with humor since cows are the lonely ones. Touches on humans desire to help others and to reach out to others needs.
Charming but low-key Christmas story of a boy's efforts to find friends for the lone cow left at his grandparents' farm. He and his sister are able to pool their money to buy a calf, but it's what happens Christmas Eve that's delightful.
YES YES YES 6 star book
my Mom and i promised we wouldn't get gifts for one another this year.
then i read The True Gift.
fortunately Mom doesn't use the computer so she won't know i'm getting this for her.
my Mom and i promised we wouldn't get gifts for one another this year.
then i read The True Gift.
fortunately Mom doesn't use the computer so she won't know i'm getting this for her.
This is a quick read and a sweet Christmas story. Is it true that cows have feelings and are capable of grief, loss, and loneliness? I had no idea! I recommend this for all fans of Patricia MacLachlan and anyone looking for a sweet Christmas story set on a farm.
The illustrations in this book were sweet, and the story was enjoyable. One of the main characters is somewhat annoying, but the story is good enough to make it a solid pick for kids around Christmas.
Lovely holiday story for all ages. The writing is full of sensory details and vivid images of the small town countryside. If you liked "Sarah, Plain and Tall", you will enjoy this story as well.
I remember loving the author's Sarah, Plain and Tall and a few of her other books, so was excited to read this small Christmas tale. It's a sweet story, but I found it a bit contrived.
Pretty cute. I read it to my twins who are 6 and they LOVED it. I personally don't like the way it was written but the girls had an easy time understanding it.
Dec 24, 2009
babyhippoface
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kids-fiction,
holiday
Kind of a slow starter, but a sweet, gentle story. (Took me a while to realize it was written as a beginning reader, which was really nice once I caught on!)
this book is based on a true story and if you read this book it gets you emotinol and you feel happy and sad if you read this story.
I need to read more of this author's books. This one made me cry happy tears. Who would have thought cows could evoke so much emotion?
Loved this book since I grew up on a farm. Reminds me of home, and Home of the Brave. Great story for Christmas time.
I Love Sarah Plain and Tall so I'm prejudiced but this simple story is great. Would make a nice gift for Christmas.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Patricia MacLachlan is a bestselling U.S. children's author, best known for winning the 1986 Newbery Medal for her book Sarah, Plain and Tall.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/patricia...
More about Patricia MacLachlan...
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/patricia...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
