A young boy thinks about all different things when it comes to Christmas. He thinks about helping his grandmas with the cooking, all the lights on the trees, and all the presents he will receive. But, he also thinks about the adults and children who do not have anything. He gives presents and winter clothes to people who have none. He realizes that at Christmas, he thinks about others and not about himself. I would use this for all ages of children. It helps them to know that Christmas is a time for giving, and not about receiving.

For those of you worried about all the commercialism infecting your children’s values, this book might be the perfect answer.

The young boy in this story starts out thinking about all the gifts he is going to get and the good Christmas food he gets to eat. But then he realizes he has a whole closet full of gifts he doesn’t play with, and he thinks about all the kids who don’t get any gifts. He thinks about the people who don’t even have a place to live or food to eat. He starts thinking that maybe he could share his presents with those who have nothing and get his friends to share too: “Because that’s what Christmas should be about, not just fancy toys and the biggest tree.”

At the end of the book, Tony Medina tells about how he came to this realization in his childhood, and how he and his friends and family decided to help others in their neighborhood in Harlem. He ends with some suggested activities for kids to help others at Christmas.

Evaluation: I really like the idea for this story, and the suggestion that there are other ways to look at Christmas besides a loot-collecting opportunity. I also love the list of ideas Medina gives at the end of the book for kids to get involved in Christmas in a more giving way. ( )