A book I would like to see as a holiday gift for everyone is the book The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera. This is a fantastic story about what one little girl does after receiving some lovely gifts for her birthday. But she also takes it one step farther and shows all the things she is thankful for. Then, she gets another lovely gift in return.
This is not only a great practice to get your child into (writing thank you notes) but also an activity you can do with your child, grandchild or classroom: to write thank you notes. As it is not just “Thank you for the lovely socks. They are my favorite color” but also, “Thank you for your smile.” And “Thank you for your hugs.” Or “Thank you for teaching me my letters.” This sweet, not traditional action story is a delightful change from more “in your face” niceness books, but also is modern and teaches a good lesson.
The one thing I am not totally liking is the fact that the thank you notes as they are written in Grace’s hand, look like they are written by a child. I would have liked to have seen “cleaner” copy here. However, that would probably take away from the quaint and innocence tone of the story.
The entire book is classic Jane Cabrera. The sweet, slightly unrealistic (but obviously what the item/person is supposed to be) illustrations is a strength to the text. These acrylic images are a pleasant treat.