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The Third Gift
From two extraordinary talents, a beautifully crafted picture book for the Christmas season.
The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. In it we meet a boy who is learning his father’s trade; a man who gathers resin from certain trees; a merchant in the marketplace; and three strangers in brightly colored robes who are shopping for a gift for a baby. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this simple, moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Includes an author’s note.
The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. In it we meet a boy who is learning his father’s trade; a man who gathers resin from certain trees; a merchant in the marketplace; and three strangers in brightly colored robes who are shopping for a gift for a baby. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this simple, moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Includes an author’s note.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2011
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About the author
Linda Sue Park
72 books1,190 followersLinda Sue Park is a Korean American author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. To date, she has written six children’s novels and five picture books for younger readers. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
December 25, 2018
Wow, the scenes look hot with bright yellow and orange light. It has a desert feel to it. This is about a boy learning to harvest Myrrh sap from the trees. The father is an expert at reading the trees and knowing the perfect time to take sap from the trees. That is the interesting part of the story. Later, some Wise men end up buying the Myrrh to give as a present - 3 guesses who the baby is. It’s a well done story and I appreciate the subtlility of the story. The artwork is lovely.
I found it interesting what Myrrh is and what it comes from. I knew it could be a resin, so it makes sense it is tree sap. It's so interesting the way this is harvested. The trees should not be too damaged so they keep living and producing more sap. Fascinating really.
Neither of the children really got into this story sadly. We explained about who the wise men were and how this is part of the Christmas story but that did not impress them. They both decided to give this 2 stars.
I found it interesting what Myrrh is and what it comes from. I knew it could be a resin, so it makes sense it is tree sap. It's so interesting the way this is harvested. The trees should not be too damaged so they keep living and producing more sap. Fascinating really.
Neither of the children really got into this story sadly. We explained about who the wise men were and how this is part of the Christmas story but that did not impress them. They both decided to give this 2 stars.
August 16, 2023
What is myrrh? And who gathered it and sold it to the magi? Linda Sue Park imagines a young boy gathering myrrh with his father and selling it in the marketplace. I have such a soft spot for picture books about children participating in historical professions* and this one joins them, with the added sweetness of being a behind-the-scenes look at Epiphany. Encourages lots of "wondering" and pondering. I had no idea Park also wrote picture books, must look up more!
*Marguerite Makes a Book and Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, to name a couple
*Marguerite Makes a Book and Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, to name a couple
June 22, 2019
A young boy observes and learns from his father, a myrrh gatherer in the ancient Middle East, in this lovely picture-book from author Linda Sue Park and illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline. An apprentice of sorts, the boy notes his father's skill in gathering the "tears" - the coagulated, resinous sap that forms from the X-shaped cuts made in the small trees from which myrrh comes - that are then sold to the spice merchant. Proud of the large tear that he himself gathers, the boy is curious when it is purchased by three wealthy foreigners who have come to the merchant's stall. He is even more curious when he learns that the myrrh is intended as a gift for an infant, given that it is a substance often used in funerary rites...
Anyone familiar with the Nativity Story - the story of the birth of Jesus Christ - will know who the three foreigners are, and who the infant recipient is, making The Third Gift an unusual but very meaningful addition to the body of picture-books meant for Christmas-time. I grew up singing the traditional Christmas carol, "We Three Kings," but I don't think I ever really considered what myrrh - one of the three gifts brought by the Wise Men/Magi as gifts for the newborn Christ child - actually is. Obviously, Linda Sue Park has. Her afterword, which explores the Biblical story of Jesus' birth, as well as various theories about the Wise Men and their origin, is quite fascinating, and her story would make an excellent companion to and expansion of a more traditional Nativity Story, or to a picture-book retelling of "We Three Kings." The illustrations here are lovely, although not my favorite, of Bagram Ibatoulline's work - something about the human figures felt slightly out of place in his landscapes. Leaving that one quibble aside, this is a wonderful book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for children's stories set in the Middle East long ago, or tangentially related to the Nativity Story.
Anyone familiar with the Nativity Story - the story of the birth of Jesus Christ - will know who the three foreigners are, and who the infant recipient is, making The Third Gift an unusual but very meaningful addition to the body of picture-books meant for Christmas-time. I grew up singing the traditional Christmas carol, "We Three Kings," but I don't think I ever really considered what myrrh - one of the three gifts brought by the Wise Men/Magi as gifts for the newborn Christ child - actually is. Obviously, Linda Sue Park has. Her afterword, which explores the Biblical story of Jesus' birth, as well as various theories about the Wise Men and their origin, is quite fascinating, and her story would make an excellent companion to and expansion of a more traditional Nativity Story, or to a picture-book retelling of "We Three Kings." The illustrations here are lovely, although not my favorite, of Bagram Ibatoulline's work - something about the human figures felt slightly out of place in his landscapes. Leaving that one quibble aside, this is a wonderful book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for children's stories set in the Middle East long ago, or tangentially related to the Nativity Story.
December 22, 2018
This is a a beautiful picture book of a boy who collects myrrh with his father. One day three wealthy men come to the market to buy the best they have to offer. They already have gold and frankincense that they want to give to to a Baby. Myrrh is a strange gift and the narrator is left wondering about this Mysterious Baby.
December 22, 2011
What do you get when you combine a Newbery winning author and a fabulous illustrator? You get a book like this one. The story is told beautifully in just the right amount of words and illustrations that put you, the reader, into the background of the story. I felt almost like I was there watching the young boy and his father harvest tree resin.
I remember the first time I heard the story of the wise men, I, like many others, had no idea what frankincense and myrrh were. Gold is pretty self-explanatory, but frankincense and myrrh? I had no clue. I admit I just barely learned that frankincense came from trees. This book taught me that myrrh also comes from trees and has symbolic relevance to Jesus Christ beyond being a valuable gift. I had no idea that Myrrh was traditionally used primarily at funerals to show respect and caring to the departed. I appreciated the author's note at the end explaining the origins of the story and the author's interest in the subject.
As for the illustrations, what can I say beyond that they are gorgeous. They show so beautifully the tender story of a father patiently teaching his son the art of harvesting the trees. What a sweet and powerfully symbolic story. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I loved it, definitely one of my favorites this year.
I remember the first time I heard the story of the wise men, I, like many others, had no idea what frankincense and myrrh were. Gold is pretty self-explanatory, but frankincense and myrrh? I had no clue. I admit I just barely learned that frankincense came from trees. This book taught me that myrrh also comes from trees and has symbolic relevance to Jesus Christ beyond being a valuable gift. I had no idea that Myrrh was traditionally used primarily at funerals to show respect and caring to the departed. I appreciated the author's note at the end explaining the origins of the story and the author's interest in the subject.
As for the illustrations, what can I say beyond that they are gorgeous. They show so beautifully the tender story of a father patiently teaching his son the art of harvesting the trees. What a sweet and powerfully symbolic story. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I loved it, definitely one of my favorites this year.
April 8, 2017
I never really knew what myrrh was or where it came from until I read this book. In this story a young boy accompanies his father as he harvests "tears"--pearls of sap that seep out of a cut in a tree--to sell in the market. Of course, Christians associate myrrh with the birth of the baby Jesus and the three wise men, and here we see father and son selling their best and largest tears to three men who are going to give them as gifts to a baby. This the boy does not understand, as myrrh is traditionally associated with the dead. Interesting! A note at the end of the book quotes the only place in the New Testament--the book of Matthew--to mention the wise men, and then no number is given. Apparently three wise men became traditional either because of the mention of three gifts in Matthew or because of the popularity of the carol "We Three Kings of Orient Are". Beautiful illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline accompany this story, which is perfect to read aloud at Christmas time. Recommended!
November 19, 2012
A boy helps his father harvest "tears"--drops of myrrh that seep from trees, used for medicines and funerals. He and his father sell the boy's large, prized tear to a spice merchant, who sells it in turn to three magi, who want to give it to a baby as a gift. As the men mount their camels and leave, the boy is left wondering about the baby who is about to receive such a strange gift.
Readers unfamiliar with the nativity story may not understand the Biblical connections, but an author's note at the end contains scripture explaining the significance of the myrrh and the magi in connection with the birth of Christ.
Ibatoulline's acrylic-gouache illustrations are stunningly lovely and realistic; some images are so lifelike they look like a combination of painting and photography. This would make a nice addition to collections of Christmas picture books in the home or church. The historical aspects of myrrh harvesting make it particularly useful in church-school settings.
Readers unfamiliar with the nativity story may not understand the Biblical connections, but an author's note at the end contains scripture explaining the significance of the myrrh and the magi in connection with the birth of Christ.
Ibatoulline's acrylic-gouache illustrations are stunningly lovely and realistic; some images are so lifelike they look like a combination of painting and photography. This would make a nice addition to collections of Christmas picture books in the home or church. The historical aspects of myrrh harvesting make it particularly useful in church-school settings.
November 26, 2011
I believe this was featured in PW, which is how It ended up in my TBR. The illustrations are wonderful, completely invoking the desert atmosphere and the historical period. While this is not strictly religious (the text is told from the perspective of a young boy who obviously has no context of what is occurring), it is clear that this is a story that is a small part of the larger Nativity story. The author's note at the back of the book shines a more scholarly light on the book. I was definitely interested because, while I was raised Catholic, I never really considered the wise men or the origins of their gifts before. Due to the death implications (we learn that myrrh was used in funeral rites), I would not recommend this for young children. This might be best for elementary school-aged Sunday schools.
December 29, 2016
this tells you how jaded I am...
This is an easy picture book...Meant to be read to small children sitting on your lap, at bedtime, storytime. Whatever.
In it, a little boy is harvesting myrrh to sell to the merchants.
So, he comes across this gigantic 'tear' of myrrh, like the tree is 'crying' sap. It's like the size of his palm.
Turning the page, I'm expecting some bully to come and rip it out of his hands and push him into the dirt. Or, that his father is killed while putting himself between the marauders and the son holding the myrrh.
Yeesh. It's a picture book. Nothing bad's gonna happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love Linda Sue Park. She's an excellent storyteller. Cute book.
This is an easy picture book...Meant to be read to small children sitting on your lap, at bedtime, storytime. Whatever.
In it, a little boy is harvesting myrrh to sell to the merchants.
So, he comes across this gigantic 'tear' of myrrh, like the tree is 'crying' sap. It's like the size of his palm.
Turning the page, I'm expecting some bully to come and rip it out of his hands and push him into the dirt. Or, that his father is killed while putting himself between the marauders and the son holding the myrrh.
Yeesh. It's a picture book. Nothing bad's gonna happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love Linda Sue Park. She's an excellent storyteller. Cute book.
December 28, 2014
The combination of this Newbery-award winning author and the incredible artistry of Ibatoulline results in a lovely story of the gift of myrrh given to baby Jesus.
Through superb illustrations, we see a young man and his father as they scour the land in search of the solidified tears of sap, which when carefully cultivated results in the precious medicinal myrrh. The sap like substance, which has a unique sweet and smoky aroma, has a wide range of uses, including perfume, embalming fluid and is believed to hold therapeutic properties.
As a side note, some scholars believe the significance of the gift of myrrh lies in foretelling that the Jesus would heal those who were ill and would then die a tragic death.
Through superb illustrations, we see a young man and his father as they scour the land in search of the solidified tears of sap, which when carefully cultivated results in the precious medicinal myrrh. The sap like substance, which has a unique sweet and smoky aroma, has a wide range of uses, including perfume, embalming fluid and is believed to hold therapeutic properties.
As a side note, some scholars believe the significance of the gift of myrrh lies in foretelling that the Jesus would heal those who were ill and would then die a tragic death.
December 19, 2016
A young boy is learning his father's trade..collecting the sap from special trees. The sap comes out in a tear shape, allowed to dry, collected by father and son, and then sold. They are used to make medicine, flavor wine, soothe rashes and used to anoint dead bodies. When you smell the tears at a funeral, you know that person was treasured.
The boy collects a very large tear which is then taken to the spice merchant. Three men are there to purchase tears to be given as a gift to a baby..very strange indeed.
Includes an author's note about what is known about the wise men or magi and speculation about them as well.
The boy collects a very large tear which is then taken to the spice merchant. Three men are there to purchase tears to be given as a gift to a baby..very strange indeed.
Includes an author's note about what is known about the wise men or magi and speculation about them as well.
December 5, 2014
how a boy wonders what three wise men are doing when they say that they need his tear to give it to a baby. and how he wonders who that special baby is.
December 11, 2018
A very lovely book. Read it in December
December 13, 2018
Gorgeous!
October 9, 2015
"I love thinking about the roles of ordinary people in history's great events. History is happening all around us every day, and stories can help remind us that we are as much a part of it as those whose names dominate the headlines."
―The Third Gift, from the Author's Note
A Newbery Medal can do wonders for an author's reputation, raising awareness of and expectations for his or her writing many years after the arrival of the Newbery-winning work. Linda Sue Park has never coasted on the momentum of the Newbery Medal she was awarded in 2002 for A Single Shard, though, establishing herself as a premier storyteller all over again with each new book she produces, hooked into the synergy of universal human emotion as the greatest authors are blessed to be. When I found out Linda Sue Park had written The Third Gift, a Christmas story, I was positive it would be a must-read for the holiday season. I was quite right in my expectation for the story, and the fact that her narrative is illustrated by the masterful Bagram Ibatoulline is a splendid bonus, two gifts rolled into one.
In an ancient land of long ago, an adoring son follows his confident, experienced father on the job, gathering the secretions of a special resin that certain trees exude from their bark amidst the otherwise dry, infertile land. The boy's father isn't a run-of-the-mill collector of this valuable resin; he's one of the very best, and his son watches in admiration as his father tests the trees with his hands to feel whether or not they're ready for their resin to be collected. When they are ready, the boy watches his father remove the secreted teardrop of resin, which he can then sell at market as a highly coveted item.
The boy knows it will be years before he can hope to match his father's professional expertise, but on a day when his father allows him to be the one to actually pluck the pearl of resin from a tree, a pearl that turns out to be an especially large and valuable specimen, the boy watches with interest the rest of the process as this particular teardrop makes its way to be sold. Unbeknownst to the involved parties, the resin the boy has collected will have a nobler purpose than any that came before it, a place honored in history for its significance not only as the heralding of a king, but as a foreshadowing of the eventual fate of that king when the purpose of his coming has at last been completed.
If Linda Sue Park's story and Bagram Ibatoulline's illustrations are the first two gifts this book offers, then the third gift is the Author's Note, which does a good job of framing the story in its entire historical and spiritual context, as a whisper of hope for a nation and the whole world that would steadily grow louder until the day it seemed to be silenced, but which would ever after grow even louder in celebration of the triumph of life over death, peace over violence, reconciliation over estrangement. The Third Gift reminds us that the beginning of the reason for this celebration is what Christmas is really all about, and even the most unheralded contributions to its start were of greater ultimate value than could ever be expressed. This book is perfect for the Christmas season, perhaps one to be read together by families on the night of Christmas Eve, and I sincerely recommend it.
―The Third Gift, from the Author's Note
A Newbery Medal can do wonders for an author's reputation, raising awareness of and expectations for his or her writing many years after the arrival of the Newbery-winning work. Linda Sue Park has never coasted on the momentum of the Newbery Medal she was awarded in 2002 for A Single Shard, though, establishing herself as a premier storyteller all over again with each new book she produces, hooked into the synergy of universal human emotion as the greatest authors are blessed to be. When I found out Linda Sue Park had written The Third Gift, a Christmas story, I was positive it would be a must-read for the holiday season. I was quite right in my expectation for the story, and the fact that her narrative is illustrated by the masterful Bagram Ibatoulline is a splendid bonus, two gifts rolled into one.
In an ancient land of long ago, an adoring son follows his confident, experienced father on the job, gathering the secretions of a special resin that certain trees exude from their bark amidst the otherwise dry, infertile land. The boy's father isn't a run-of-the-mill collector of this valuable resin; he's one of the very best, and his son watches in admiration as his father tests the trees with his hands to feel whether or not they're ready for their resin to be collected. When they are ready, the boy watches his father remove the secreted teardrop of resin, which he can then sell at market as a highly coveted item.
The boy knows it will be years before he can hope to match his father's professional expertise, but on a day when his father allows him to be the one to actually pluck the pearl of resin from a tree, a pearl that turns out to be an especially large and valuable specimen, the boy watches with interest the rest of the process as this particular teardrop makes its way to be sold. Unbeknownst to the involved parties, the resin the boy has collected will have a nobler purpose than any that came before it, a place honored in history for its significance not only as the heralding of a king, but as a foreshadowing of the eventual fate of that king when the purpose of his coming has at last been completed.
If Linda Sue Park's story and Bagram Ibatoulline's illustrations are the first two gifts this book offers, then the third gift is the Author's Note, which does a good job of framing the story in its entire historical and spiritual context, as a whisper of hope for a nation and the whole world that would steadily grow louder until the day it seemed to be silenced, but which would ever after grow even louder in celebration of the triumph of life over death, peace over violence, reconciliation over estrangement. The Third Gift reminds us that the beginning of the reason for this celebration is what Christmas is really all about, and even the most unheralded contributions to its start were of greater ultimate value than could ever be expressed. This book is perfect for the Christmas season, perhaps one to be read together by families on the night of Christmas Eve, and I sincerely recommend it.
June 13, 2013
I hadn't read a description of this book before reading it, so I was surprised by the fairly specific subject matter of collecting myrrh in the desert (though of course I wasn't sure at first what it was that they were collecting). The other thing that surprised me was the amazing illustrations: photorealistic almost, yet with a dreamy, hazy quality to them befitting the desert setting. Seeing the process of myrrh collection and the considerable skill required in determining when trees were ready to be harvested was intriguing, but I wasn't quite sure where Park was going with this line of storytelling until seeing the three wisemen who were interested in buying the sap "tears" that the main character and his father had collected in the desert. The main character's insight that myrrh was mostly used at funerals to indicate someone was very well-loved was also interesting. I did't feel like the story itself had much of a "story" to it (there was no conflict of any sort; rather, the story simply traced the origin of the gift of myrrh from the perspective of the boy who gathered it with his father, without developing either character very much), which is my main complaint. The afterword was most interesting to me with its debunking of some wisemen myths (the number 3 was never specified, but was rather assumed later on because of the number of gifts), and its hypothesis that the wisemen may have been Zoroastrians.
Some traditions in the book were that of collecting myrrh as a profession, something that the father was obviously passing down to his son, and that of using myrrh as a way to show reverence for the dead, a tradition present in many cultures. Park is also engaging in a tradition herself in retelling part of the Christmas story from a different angle by imagining where the myrrh in the wisemen's gifts came from. I like that Park highlights how we are all a part of making history, whether or not we realize the significance of our parts, with this book. Change could be seen in the very idea that these wisemen would come and present a live child, rather than a respected dead elder, with myrrh: a departure from tradition that plays into foretelling Jesus' identity and his death.
Some traditions in the book were that of collecting myrrh as a profession, something that the father was obviously passing down to his son, and that of using myrrh as a way to show reverence for the dead, a tradition present in many cultures. Park is also engaging in a tradition herself in retelling part of the Christmas story from a different angle by imagining where the myrrh in the wisemen's gifts came from. I like that Park highlights how we are all a part of making history, whether or not we realize the significance of our parts, with this book. Change could be seen in the very idea that these wisemen would come and present a live child, rather than a respected dead elder, with myrrh: a departure from tradition that plays into foretelling Jesus' identity and his death.
December 13, 2015
Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has found her way onto my list of must-have children's Christmas books for every Christian home, bringing the Christmas Story to life from a perspective I've never before heard. It precedes the wise men's entrance onto the Christmas scene and showcases those who made the magi's third gift possible, meanwhile answering the question that so many children and adults alike may have . . . what exactly is "myrrh" anyway?
Park leads the reader into the desert alongside a boy who carefully shadows his father in order to learn his trade, the harvesting of "tears". It is a careful process that requires much attention to detail, finding the perfect trees, cutting in just the right place with just the right depth. It's an art of patience and skill, all to collect the droplets of sap that each tree cries and that eventually harden enough to be removed intact.
We're not only drawn into Park's creative depiction of this delicate harvesting process and the perfectly matched illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline, we're also taken on an educational journey concerning the various uses of myrrh, an especially significant detail foreshadowing the Christ-child's fateful purpose - sacrifice. It is a beautiful tale coupled with both solemnity and celebration.
After harvesting the tear of all tears, the boy and his father are invited to present it for sale to three peculiar individuals who had obviously travelled far and whose destination especially interested this young tear-harvester. A gift of myrrh for a baby? We are left with these final thoughts from the curious child. "I watch the three men mount their camels. I watch them leave the marketplace. I watch as they ride into the desert. And I wonder about the baby." May we, like this young boy, keep watch over the true significance of Christmas and may we forever watch in wonder at His goodness.
For Ages 5+.
Park leads the reader into the desert alongside a boy who carefully shadows his father in order to learn his trade, the harvesting of "tears". It is a careful process that requires much attention to detail, finding the perfect trees, cutting in just the right place with just the right depth. It's an art of patience and skill, all to collect the droplets of sap that each tree cries and that eventually harden enough to be removed intact.
We're not only drawn into Park's creative depiction of this delicate harvesting process and the perfectly matched illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline, we're also taken on an educational journey concerning the various uses of myrrh, an especially significant detail foreshadowing the Christ-child's fateful purpose - sacrifice. It is a beautiful tale coupled with both solemnity and celebration.
After harvesting the tear of all tears, the boy and his father are invited to present it for sale to three peculiar individuals who had obviously travelled far and whose destination especially interested this young tear-harvester. A gift of myrrh for a baby? We are left with these final thoughts from the curious child. "I watch the three men mount their camels. I watch them leave the marketplace. I watch as they ride into the desert. And I wonder about the baby." May we, like this young boy, keep watch over the true significance of Christmas and may we forever watch in wonder at His goodness.
For Ages 5+.
November 12, 2011
Review via Cracking the Cover
We all play a part in history, and most often, our role remains unknown until long after we’ve moved on. “The Third Gift” celebrates one of those unknown roles in the Nativity story. There are no bells and whistles, elves or sparkling lights in Linda’s book. Yet it tells more of what the holiday season is about than many of its contemporaries.
The young boy and his father are unassuming. And while their daily work is important to them, there is nothing particularly glamorous about it. It’s the simple caring actions of the father — depicted beautifully by artist Bagram Ibatoulline — as he shows his son his trade. Most of the book takes place away from the city, and the quietness of the landscape contributes to the reverence of the book.
“The Third Gift” is an excellent choice for those who are looking to go beyond Santa Claus and his elves. It’s a lovely picture book that many would be happy displaying where visitors can see.
We all play a part in history, and most often, our role remains unknown until long after we’ve moved on. “The Third Gift” celebrates one of those unknown roles in the Nativity story. There are no bells and whistles, elves or sparkling lights in Linda’s book. Yet it tells more of what the holiday season is about than many of its contemporaries.
The young boy and his father are unassuming. And while their daily work is important to them, there is nothing particularly glamorous about it. It’s the simple caring actions of the father — depicted beautifully by artist Bagram Ibatoulline — as he shows his son his trade. Most of the book takes place away from the city, and the quietness of the landscape contributes to the reverence of the book.
“The Third Gift” is an excellent choice for those who are looking to go beyond Santa Claus and his elves. It’s a lovely picture book that many would be happy displaying where visitors can see.
October 30, 2011
A boy and his father travel through the desert in search of trees whose sap can be collected and sold as myrrh. The boy watches as his father carefully examines the trees and then makes a cut so that sap balls can form and then later be collected. After the boy is allowed to collect an especially large sap ball, the two head to the market where they meet three men who are interested in finding a unique gift for an infant. Back matter includes an Author's Note with Biblical references to the three wise men and the gifts they offered to a special child. The book also contains an explanation of the uses of myrrh. The story is beautifully told in simple yet eloquent language, and the acrylic-gouache illustrations show the tender regard the father has for his son as he teaches him what he knows, both becoming a part of the footnotes to possible historical events.
December 11, 2012
Beautifully illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, this book brings the family or congregation another way to approach the story of the Magi's gifts. Park's focus on the collection of myrrh teaches why this resin was so precious and and an important gift, and also can open a discussion of how many people are involved in even the simplest gifts, and the symbolic importance of the three gifts brought by the Wise Men. Park opens the door to wondering about those gifts again and how very peculiar two of them are, especially for an infant - frankincense and myrrh. Like Susan Campbell Bartoletti & Holly Meade's _Naamah and the Ark at Night_ this is an imaginative story based on a Biblical text and a long history of people faithfully asking questions and seeking understanding.
July 7, 2015
This books tells the story of a boy and his father walking through the desert collecting tears of sap from trees. At the end of the story, we find out that what they were harvesting was myrrh. Three men meet the boy and his father at the market to purchase a gift of myrrh for a baby. This book is a subtle twist on the story of the three wise men and includes information in the back about who the three wise men might have been. The information page also tells a bit of information about what myrrh is and what it was used for. The pictures in the book are not photographs, but they are very detailed and realistic.
February 25, 2015
This book caught my eye because it was written by Linda Sue Park, and I greatly enjoyed her Keeping Score. This book is a picture book, but it contains a story of substance, and the pictures are magnificent. I confess, I had no idea where myrrh came from until I read this book, so not only was the book entertaining, it was educational as well!
November 16, 2011
Beautiful illustrations; not colorful, but intriguing. Everything about the artwork looks "painted" (which is not a bad thing), but the faces look real, which makes the story seem like it is about real people.
The story itself leaves a lot to the imagination, which is not a bad thing. Somehow we want the boy to learn more about the recipient of the gift, but ... maybe he will.
The author's notes at the end of the book are both educational and insightful, and a helpful addition to the story.
The story itself leaves a lot to the imagination, which is not a bad thing. Somehow we want the boy to learn more about the recipient of the gift, but ... maybe he will.
The author's notes at the end of the book are both educational and insightful, and a helpful addition to the story.
December 21, 2011
Have you ever wondered what myrrh is? This book follows a father and son as they collect myrrh "tears" from trees and sell them at the market. They are very skilled and one day harvest an unusually large tear. When at the market, they meet three very important men that need a very special gift. A unique addtion to any collections of Christmas stories; one that will answer a question many a young child has asked.
December 1, 2012
I read this back in September and then couldn't remember the title. I found it by going through my self-checkout emails in gmail. I'm taking note of it now and I just liked a review that said everything I would have about this book. It was a beautifully done work of art as a whole.
Now that I am delving more and more into the world of essential oils, I am curious to know what frankincense smells like.
Now that I am delving more and more into the world of essential oils, I am curious to know what frankincense smells like.
October 25, 2013
Interest Level: 3rd-5th
Reading Level: 4th-6th
Awards:2012 ALA Notable Book for Children
2012 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
The Third Gift is a story that gives children not only educational tidbits on what life was like in a different country, during a different time, living a different way, but also it gives children a different perspective to view the birth of Christ from.
Reading Level: 4th-6th
Awards:2012 ALA Notable Book for Children
2012 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
The Third Gift is a story that gives children not only educational tidbits on what life was like in a different country, during a different time, living a different way, but also it gives children a different perspective to view the birth of Christ from.
March 10, 2014
I thought this book was okay....at first. It wasn't Linda Sue Parks most interesting work, but the ending caught my interest. And when I read the author's note, it really hit home for me.
She said she wrote the story because when she was a kid and read the nativity she always wondered what myur (mi spelled I know haha) was, and I thought, "I still didn't know!" Now I do....Thanks Linda Sue!
Nice informative book for a kid's book :)
She said she wrote the story because when she was a kid and read the nativity she always wondered what myur (mi spelled I know haha) was, and I thought, "I still didn't know!" Now I do....Thanks Linda Sue!
Nice informative book for a kid's book :)
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June 14, 2014The third gift has many connections including text to self and text to world, however the one that stuck out to me the most was text to world. The part where the son was learning his fathers trade is something that is often done in most cultures around the world. Also in the end of the book the father and son take their 'tears' to the market for three men to buy, it appears that the men are the Three Wise Men from the bible, headed to bring their gift to a baby. The third gift was Myrrh.
December 12, 2017
2014 - I found this book while searching for new ones to add to our Advent reading. It seemed intriguing as it was based on one of the three gifts the Wise Men brought baby Jesus. I liked how it described the way Myrrh is harvested. My 9 year old said that now he knows where Myrrh comes from when we finished. So I'd say that the book served as a science lesson along with part of the Christmas season. What a good find.
December 31, 2014
This is a Christmas book, but the Christ child is only featured as a reference at the end of the book. This story is actually about a boy learning to collect myrrh by gathering resin from trees. I love the history and culture and people in the book, the simple tale and how it teaches so much without losing sight of a plot. The illustrations are also lovely. Definitely a book we'll be reading at Christmas again.
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