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Immi's Gift by Karin Littlewood focuses on a girl in the Arctic who finds small treasures while fishing that brighten her cold, snowy life. A connection between children half a world away is the endearing conclusion to a wonderful tale. Immi's world is brightened as she finds a small bird charm, followed by a variety of colorful, natural items from far away with which she decorates her igloo. The colorful decorations attract a variety of animals who stay with Immi and make her winter warm and happy. As the weather warms, and her friends depart, Immi gifts her Polar Bear charm to the sea. In the final pages we discover an island boy who has been sending the colorful items toward Immi. He dicovers her Polar Bear charm in the sand and keeps it. The back cover has the summary moral: Sometimes the simplest gifts bring the greatest joy. The endearing, sweet story is well paced. The large font is easy to read, making this a great choice for transitional readers. It also makes this a fine read-aloud choice. The illustrations were created with colored pencils and washes of watercolors and gouache. They are beautiful, appealing, and become even more colorful as the story progresses. I really loved the illustrations, particularly the pictures of the animals with Immi in the igloo, and the two page spread showing all the animals under the ice as Immi fished. Immi's Gift is destined to become a beloved book, and will likely make Best lists and get awards attention. For ages 3 to 7, imagination, story-time, world, animals, nature, gifts, connectivity, multi-cultural, first-nations themes, and fans of Karin Littlewood.

2022-09-03 19:19