Franklin the turtle gets into the holiday spirit in the storybook series that inspired the beloved television show Franklin and Friends! In this Franklin Classic Storybook, Franklin can’t decide what to donate to his school’s Christmas toy drive. At first, all of his toys seem too special to give away, then nothing seems special enough. With some inspiration from his Great Aunt Harriet, Franklin finally comes up with the perfect gift.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bourgeois graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational therapy from the University of Western Ontario in 1974. She was a psychiatric occupational therapist for three years before deciding to focus on her writing. She studied journalism at Carlton University then worked as a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Television. She became a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C. contributing pieces to Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Reader's Digest and Maclean's. She returned to Toronto in 1983.
In 2003, she became a Member of the Order of Canada and in 2007, she received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from her alma mater, the University of Western Ontario.
A great story about Franklin needing to find a special toy of his for the gift drive at school. Something new or gently used. Franklin is attached to all his toys and he has a hard time finding something to give.
This seems like a good idea. One, it’s good to get rid of things as we get things so we don’t become horders. Two, it’s a nice practice to find something we appreciate and want to let someone else enjoy it.
I love Franklin’s red fingernails. They look painted and so christmas-y next to his green skin.
The kids enjoyed this book. They both gave it 3 stars. They were a bit wired the last few nights and they don’t listen as well those night.
Franklin has been asked to donate a toy to a charitable drive for Christmas, but he's having trouble picking one that he can part with other than a rusty old truck missing a tire. He spends the week thinking about generosity of spirit and is able to make a good choice.
The Franklin picture books and TV shows are a Canadian gem and I particularly enjoyed this one.
This children's picture book, which has also been adapted as the first half of Season 1, Episode 12 of Franklin, is about the toy drive that Franklin's school is organizing. Franklin is tasked with having to donate one of his toys but he can't decide which one he's willing to part with. He eventually learns that Christmas is about being generous and thinking about the less fortunate, which makes him re-think his gifts and find ways to make his gifts more special.
---------------------------------------------- Part of a personal challenge to read all of my boyfriend's and his sister's childhood books before we donate and give them away.
I got a copy of this picture book free from netgalley.com. It was actually a book about Christmas and giving gifts. It was a sweet book and the pictures are really polished and cute. Great for kids!
The illustrations were so cute. I liked the little wooden reindeer and the figurine of a turtle in Santa's suit was adorable. The holiday touched like the candle in greenery and the holly hanging on the mantle was so pretty. The little turtle queen and king puppet were so cute! They had their royal robes and crowns on.
I liked the special touches of the crafts they were doing in school. Bear made one of those things called God's eye I think, where you wrap yarn around two Popsicle sticks forming a cross. I used to make those as a kid so it was such a throwback to my childhood to see it.
I quickly realized what was happening. Franklin was supposed to donate a toy to the toy drive, but as he looked at his chest full of type he started getting attached to them. I got a kick out of it because that's exactly how I am.
It quickly became annoying though when he told his dad he only had the rusty old toy truck to give, because everything else was too special. His dad told him to think about that because Christmas is a time to be generous. That was really upsetting because there's nothing wrong with him not wanting to give his toys away. If he's attached to them and wants to keep them his whole life, he can do that. There's no rule stating you have to give your favorite possessions away to strangers. What makes it more aggravating is that he didn't have to go through his toys at all. He could have bought a new toy and not lost one of his own.
Franklin was so cute in his blue plaid hat with the flaps.
It annoyed me further that it was pointed out how forgetful Franklin was with putting the toy drive on the back burner. He was busy at school, what with playing the recorder in the concert, making a card for Mr. Owl, and writing a Christmas story. He said he'd pick a toy out after school, but when he got home he got distracted by a present from his aunt.
At first I thought he was going to give his puppets away that his aunt had given him. I'm so glad that didn't happen. He did give his marble collection away which was annoying, bcuz he shouldn't have had to do that. And writing "These are lucky marbles" was stupid. Encouraging kids to give away things that mean a lot to them isn't okay.
And somehow we're supposed to believe that Franklin, a child, wrote a play and dedicated it to his aunt. Like kids know to dedicate plays to people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
All the stories seen to start out the same. Franklin loved Christmas, and could tie ribbons into bows, play Silent Night on the recorder, and give and receive presents. He was holding a reindeer and I noticed the Santa looked like a turtle. So wouldn't the reindeer be different too? That's nice that his class is having a donation for toys for needy families. 3 days to buy gifts isn't long at all! The little frog queen and King stuffed animals are adorable! And he's got a little goldfish on the table. It's sweet he's looking at his old favorite toys. There's a little stuffed turtle on the floor. He drawing of him and a snowman on his wall is too cute! Franklin found his favorite marble. He liked to collect marbles and had won all of his. Reminds me of being a kid. I seem to remember his rusty truck with a missing wheel. Their house is cute decorated for Christmas. The cards on the wall. Franklin says all he had is the truck to give away, and his dad says "I'd like you to think about that. Christmas is a time to be generous." Which is true, but it annoys me when somebody tells you you have to get rid of your things. The page with their school in the background with the blue door and wreath. It was sweet he made a card for Mr. Owl, and wrote a holiday story. His Great Aunt Harriet gave him the puppets because Franklin likes plays. "Do you know that your gift might be the only one somebody receives this holiday?" That's sweet that at first his toys seemed too special, and now they're not special enough. I thought he was going to give his puppets away, so I'm glad he didn't. But I'm surprised he gave his marbles. It's sweet he wrote 'These are lucky marbles.' Idk why his Great Aunt had sent a present if she was going to visit them on Christmas Eve. So Franklin wrote the play for his Great Aunt! She said it was the best present she'd gotten. And franklin got that good feeling again. I didn't expect a book about children's toy drive to end on that note, giving a present to his aunt. I thought it would end with us seeing a kid get franklin's marbles. That would have been nice. This was just an ok story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I hate to admit it, since it goes against everything I stand for as a book themed superhero, but I actually prefer the episode—which you can view here:
—as the episode gave the viewer two scenes that the book did not.
(1) When Beaver brags (big shocker there) that she already knows all the answers in the Q&A book she's donating to the toy drive, Franklin responds with a mildly sarcastic: "Of course," which causes Goose to laugh.
(2) When Franklin reveals to his mom that he's giving away his treasured puppets because Bear gave away his sled, his mom points out that it was easy for Bear to part with it, because he got too big for it, leaving Franklin to conclude that it's probably because of all the cookies he eats (Franklin, did you just body shame Bear?).
There's also a couple of differences, including: in the book, Bear did not give away his sled, and instead gave a puzzle that he only worked once, while Goose was the one to give this gift in the episode; Franklin never considers giving away his puppets in the book; Franklin's aunt does not appear in the episode (guess the budget wouldn't allow for another voice actor), though she is the one to send him the gift of a puppet theatre; since his aunt did not appear in the episode, Franklin did not give her the gift of a play he wrote, though he does put on a short performance (not a good one, mind you) with his new puppet theatre, with his parents as the audience.
Franklin’s Christmas Gift is the re-release of a classic from the enduring Franklin series by Paulette Bourgeois. At Franklin’s school, Franklin’s teacher, Mr. Owl, tells the students to begin thinking about what they will bring to donate to the classroom toy drive for needy children and the excitement begins. When Franklin goes through his own toys, everything seems too special to give away, but after receiving a gift from his aunt, Franklin realizes that nothing is special enough. After much thought, Franklin settles on a gift and in the process learns much about giving.
Franklin's Christmas Gift is an excellent addition to the Franklin series. The students relate to the familiar stories and the beautiful illustrations. Christmas Gift helps students understand the joy of giving, using well-known characters. Pre-K through second graders will enjoy this addition to Franklin.
Every year, Mr Owl's class gives gifts to needy children for Christmas. Franklin loves Christmas and getting presents, but when it comes time to figure out what to give up, he has a hard time. His friends give unselfishly and help Franklin remember twhat Christmas is really about what we give to others - not what we receive.
This is another great Franklin story that I loved sharing with my son. It was a great reminder for him that Christmas should be about the giving instead of the getting. Franklin stories are a great go-to for younger children.
Franklin needs to decide what to donate to needy children before his own presents come at Christmas. This is one of those stories that would be good to share with your young ones to help them prepare for the holiday. The decision process here isn't portrayed as something easy to do, which I liked. There will be a struggle for a child confronting this idea for the first time. Told with a lot of honesty, this becomes a great conversation starter, that needs to be followed with action. A great book!
Adorable and enduring Franklin must bring a gently used toy to the Christmas drive for underprivileged children. In looking over his toys Franklin finds them all too precious to part with. This is a good book for discussing the importance and joy of giving with preschoolers. Sharing does not come naturally and Franklin's struggle will help to foster an important dialog on the holiday season. Highly recommended for children ages 3-7
Franklin loved Christmas. He could name all of Santa’s reindeer. He could ties ribbons into bows and play “Silent Night” on his recorder. Franklin liked to give presents and receive them. But this year he couldn’t decide what to give to the Christmas toy drive.
Each year, Mr. Owl’s class donates new and gently toys for needy families. This year, Franklin cannot decide what to give. The only toy he will part with is his more than gently used truck. Franklin has three more days to donate. The next day he receives a gift from his Great Aunt Harriet, who knows how to give special gifts. Excited over the present, Franklin forgets all about a gift for the toy drive. On the eve of the third and final day, Franklin’s Great Aunt visits. Finally, Franklin gets to open her gift. Franklin’s time with his aunt inspires him take action.
Franklin’s Christmas Gift is an inspiring story of love, giving, caring, and sharing. Children will learn the true meaning of Christmas – giving is better than receiving. Franklin found that his gift to Great Aunt Harriet gave him as much joy as it gave her. This is so true, especially this time of year. Picking out that one-of-a-kind gift, then watching the recipient open it, can be exhilarating. That feeling is the cause of cries heard in every home with a child. “Open mine! Open mine!”
The illustrations are Christmas bright; happy and joyful hues of green, red, blue, gold, and other sparkly colors. The drawings are cute. The words are an inspiration. I liked the tone of giving and the uncertainty Franklin shows in not wanting to part with any of his treasures. The items that we have, the things we collect, become more important than people do. We cannot part with any of our stuff, sometimes even when that thing has out lived its usefulness. Christmas is a good time to put those priorities in order. Franklin does just that, and it will instill the gift of giving in those who read Franklin’s Christmas Gift.
Note: received from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher.
Franklin’s Christmas Gift by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark * I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Franklin’s class is collecting toys for the annual Christmas Toy Drive. He is so excited and he can’t wait to find the perfect toy to donate. As he goes through his toys he remembers why they are all special to him and he can’t decide.
With only one day left to pick the “perfect toy” to donate, he is afraid none of his toys will work. As he sits and thinks about it, he is inspired by a gift from his Great Aunt Harriet and comes up with the perfect gift.
This was a very cute book that was well illustrated and held my two year old granddaughter’s attention when we read it as our bedtime story. The pages of the story are very colorful and fun to look at without being distracting. The length of the story is just right for smaller kids with short attention spans.
It has a wonderful message about giving to other’s and was written in such a way that even smaller children can understand it. I love the idea of children giving to other children because it helps them at an early age understand that one person can make a difference.
We have donated toys to Toys for Tots ever since my daughter was a baby. We started doing that as a family every year with both new toys and some of her “slightly used” toys. We are continuing that tradition with my granddaughter.
Overall this is a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it to friends and family. I give Franklin’s Christmas Gift 5 Flaming Hearts.
This book has a sweet ending-as do many Franklin books. Each year, Franklin’s class did a toy drive for needy families and everyone was always very excited about the toy give! That night, Franklin went to find toys but all he could find that he wanted to give was a broken truck that he was going to try and fix. When he asked his dad to help him, he wasn’t so sure and told Franklin to really think about it. All of a sudden, Franklin got very busy and didn’t have much of a chance to think about what he was going to give-he had something going on each night. One night, he saw his present from his aunt under the tree and started thinking about the puppets she gave him last year and how special they were to him. Franklin kept forgetting to get a gift and almost ran out of time! He couldn’t figure out what to do, until he finally thought about how special his gifts from his aunt were and he wanted to give a special gift to someone, so he gave his lucky marble collection and he felt really good about giving it away!
I liked the ending of this book-it teaches kids the value of giving to others, and being generous in your giving as Franklin was in giving his lucky marble collection. I also liked the pictures in this book as well. I think this could be used at Christmas time in your classroom, and how important it can be to give to others.
“In this Franklin Classic Storybook, Franklin can’t decide what to donate to his school’s Christmas toy drive. At first, all of his toys seem too special to give away, then nothing seems special enough. With some inspiration from his Great Aunt Harriet, Franklin finally comes up with the perfect gift.” This is a great story for kids to learn the value of giving. At first Franklin is excited to give to his classes toy drive, when he gets home and starts going through toys he comes up with reasons as to why he cannot give each toy away. He then gets busy and doesn’t think about it. His Great aunt sends him a gift which reminds him she always gives something that means something to her. When his teacher says the toys the kids gave may be the only thing someone may get for Christmas Franklin rushes home to choose but now nothing is special enough. He finally decides on a toy that is special to him and he knows will be special to someone else as well. The pictures are great as well.
I love Franklin, my boys loved Franklin (back in the day) and this was actually one of the many Franklin books we owned. Hence the reason I couldn't resist re-reading and reviewing this one. These books remain timeless, the moral message is just as relevant today as it was when my children were little.
Every year Mrs Owl's class donate toys to the school's toy drive for needy families. Franklin has struggled to choose a gift because all his toys are "too special to give away." Mrs Owl reminds her class that the gift given may be the only gift some children receive so Franklin goes home to think about giving with thought and from the heart.
Franklin and his friends are very relatable and the bright colourful illustrations are a winner for children. Most importantly this cute little book conveys a beautiful message about the value and selflessness in giving.
This is an entertaining and meaningful story in the Franklin the Turtle series by Paulette Bourgeois. I'm not sure why we never really got into this series (after all, we love turtles!) Now our girls are getting a bit old for stories like this, so I'm not sure how many more we'll read.
I found this book available in an ebook version through our local library and I decided that I would read it, even if our girls weren't interested. After I read it, I really thought it had a good message, so I read it with our girls, too. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they enjoyed the story as much as I did. The illustrations are cartoonish and colorful and the narrative is short and engaging. I will certainly look for more ebooks in this series, even if I have to read them on my own.
This review is for: Franklin's Christmas Gift (Paperback) Many of you may know already how much I love Franklin and his group of furry friends. But for those that don't, I am here to tell you I am a huge fan of Franklin. The true meaning of Christmas is brought to light in Franklins Christmas Gift...it is better to give than to receive. My husband and I are struggling right now with trying to explain the importance of giving to our children. Our world places our children front and center and our frustration rises when they fail to see how lucky they are. I purchased this book and plan to read it many times before Christmas. Franklin and his pals are easy to relate to and my children really enjoy these story books. With Franklin at my side my children will become more generous and grateful through the lessons taught in this story. I rate this Franklin book 5 out of 5!!!
Franklin is faced with a dilemma. He is supposed to donate a toy to his class toy drive, but all of his toys are too special to give away. He finally finds a broken old truck that might improve a little with a lot of work. Yet Franklin doesn't have time to fix the truck. He is just too busy with all sorts of other Christmas festivities. One day right before Christmas, Mr. Owl says something that gets Franklin thinking in the right direction. Franklin realizes that whatever toy he gives might be the absolute only toy some other kid receives for Christmas that year. Now he thinks none of his toys are special enough! Ultimately he feels good about his decision to give and he is filled with the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas.
Another adorable story of Franklin the Turtle. My kids love his adventures and this book was no exception. A cute story centered around Christmas time, giving and Franklin’s adventurous spirit and lovable nature. As Franklin struggles with what to donate to the charity drive, he has to decide what is good enough for him to give and what he is willing to part with. Should it be an old toy he no longer wants? or something wonderful to share with another child? My kids have had similar struggles each time we go through toys and decide what to donate and what to keep. This book will be a hit with kids of all ages. A great read for anytime, not just Christmas.
setiap natal , murid-murid sekolah Franklin selalu menyumbangkan hadiah natal kepada anak-anak yang kurang beruntung.
kali ini Franklin teramat bingung karena setelah ia memerika setiap mainannya, ia merasa bahwa semuanya masih bagus dan sayang bila disumbangkan. setelah beberapa hari lewat Franklin tersadar bahwa hampir semua mainannya tidaklah pantas untuk disumbangkan karena banyak yang telah rusak.
pada akhirnya Franklin memimilih mainan favoritenya, yang dirasanya pantas untuk diberikan kepada anak lain.
Read via @NetGalley through ADE. I can remember some Franklin books from my childhood. This book is very special in being a discussion starter even for your younger kiddos in learning part of the meaning of Christmas and giving to others in need. It is exciting for Open Road to be making available this and many other Franklin titles for eBooks.
*Thanks to Open Road for loaning me an electronic copy through NetGalley for review.*
Notes: Franklin's Christmas Gift, by Paulette Bourgeois is a book about giving a special something of your to someone else.
Book Review: Franklin has a hard time giving something of his to the toy drive at school. Towards the end, Franklin discovers that generosity has rewards that more than compensate for the pain of parting with a beloved possession. This will help students to realize the importance of giving.
Recommend: I would recommend this book to students in grades 2-3.
This story uses Christmas to touch on being fair to other people and a lesson about doing things (or giving gifts) that come from the heart and not just because it is old or because you have to. It shows that going through the week Franklin was able to learn a lesson about doing nice things for people and he showed this by sending a thoughtful gift to school.
I read this to my 4- and 6-year-old sons prior to Christmas so that we could emphasize the importance of giving rather than receiving. They both enjoyed it, and they enjoyed the cute illustrations (despite the fact that my e-reader is black-and-white, so they couldn't see the colors). An enjoyable book with a clear message.