The Gift of Words

by Peter H. Reynolds

An inspirational holiday story celebrating the power of words -- an epic follow-up to the New York Times bestselling classic The Word Collector by creative visionary Peter H. Reynolds.

"So many words, strung together, shimmering and dreamy. So many people, connected, together, hopeful and united. And that was the power of the gift of words. A gift for all."

Jerome is looking forward to collecting words this holiday season! Words of hope, love, and joy to share with his loved ones. But as he begins his search, he discovers that inspirational words are hard to come by. In the end, Jerome finds a way to connect with his community and join together in sharing the greatest gift of the gift of words.

From our most celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds, comes an uplifting holiday tale about the power of the gift of words -- an important addition to the Word Collector collection, and the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas, Childrens, Holiday, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2025

About the author

Peter Hamilton Reynolds is an author and illustrator of children's books and is the co-Founder and CEO of educational media company FableVision.

Reviews

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being an avid word collector, a young man wishes to share holiday words with his family and friends but discovers the words associated with modern commercialized Christmas celebrations are overwhelmingly negative.

"Jerome felt inspired to collect words. Holiday words. Words of hope. Words of joy. Words to give to those he loved -- family and friends."

Jerome is a word collector. He collectors the words around him. For Christmas he wants to share holiday words with his family and friends, but when he sets out with his notebook, he is shocked to discover the most common words are associated with the consumption of poor quality cheap products, global crises, frustration, anger, and entitlement. In response, he runs home and searches his own word collection for positive words relevant to the celebration of Christmas. He decorates a tree in the park with them and invites his family, friends, and community to join him.

This story shines a light on the negative side of secular Christmas observance as it demonstrates the power of words. It also shows how one person is able to affect positive change.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just lovely

[Kayla Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reynolds does it again. So glad to see Jerome return to spread literacy and joy in the world. Highly recommended!

[Claudia Naranjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

we all need kind words in our life!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

In THE GIFT OF WORDS, Jerome, from Reynolds’ earlier picture book, THE WORD COLLECTOR, is on the hunt on the streets of his neighborhood for words that inspire his friends and neighbors. “Holiday words. Words of hope. Words of joy.” But all he sees are words connected to the commercialization of the winter holidays, words that invoke fear from the headlines and leave him cold and a certainly without joy. But, he is the word collector and his box at home is filled with wonderful words, and putting bags of those words on a sled, Jerome sets out to decorate a tree with them and invites those around him to add to the positivity with their own words.

Peter Reynolds has a knack for creating picture books that leave readers, young and not so young, feeling warmer and with a more positive view of the world. Yes, this is a picture book and yes, most of those are written for a certain age group, but this one, just like DOT, ISH, and SKY COLOR, should become part of counseling offices, SEL lessons and classrooms of children from PK and up through teenage years as a reminder of the power of words. I can see schools putting up their own word trees year round, much like schools have used the tree in Katherine Applegate’s WISHTREE to encourage more thoughtful use of words and the power of people to change the thinking and feeling around us.

Highly recommended for all.

Thanks for the print arc, Scholastic and the Literary Feast event.

[Πάνος Τουρλής · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ο Τζερόμ βγαίνει μια βόλτα στους χιονισμένους δρόμους μαζί με τον σκύλο του, Έκο. Θέλει να συλλέξει λέξεις ελπίδας και χαράς για να τις μοιράσει σε φίλους και συγγενείς που αγαπάει. Αρχίζει λοιπόν να ψάχνει σε όλη την πόλη, μόνο που ό,τι βλέπει και ό,τι ακούει δεν τον ικανοποιεί. Είναι μέρες γιορτών αλλά παντού συναντά φράσεις που δε ζεσταίνουν την καρδιά του («Εκπτώσεις», «Αγοράστε», «Φτηνά» κλπ.), οπότε στρέφεται στο περίπτερο, όπου τα πρωτοσέλιδα των εφημερίδων μιλάνε για φτώχεια, λειψυδρία κλπ. Το παιδί κοιτά τον κόσμο γύρω του και ακούει λέξεις λύπης, απογοήτευσης και εκνευρισμού. Όλα αυτά όμως αντί να τον αποθαρρύνουν του δίνουν μια ιδέα: «Γιατί να μη βρει τρόπο να δώσει στους ανθρώπους τις λέξεις που χρειάζονταν»; Γιορτινές λέξεις, λέξεις καλοσύνης, χαρούμενες και θετικές, από την πλούσια συλλογή του! Πώς θα το κάνει λοιπόν; Πώς θα καταφέρει να ενώσει ανθρώπους και ζώα κάτω από τις λέξεις και να φωτίσει τη ζωή τους;

Ένα υπέροχο, απολαυστικό και τρυφερό παραμύθι που, με αφορμή τη φωτεινή κατά τα άλλα περίοδο των γιορτών, δείχνει στους μικρούς αναγνώστες πόσο ψυχρή, τυπική και εκνευριστική έχει καταντήσει η καθημερινότητα όλων και πόσο πολύ έχει κυριεύσει τον κόσμο η ανασφάλεια και ο φόβος. Μέσα από την ιστορία του Τζερόμ ο συγγραφέας ρίχνει φως και ζεσταίνει τις καρδιές μικρών και μεγάλων. Ξεκινάει την ιστορία του με γκρίζα, ψυχρά χρώματα και μ’ ένα παιδί που περπατάει μόνο του, παρατηρώντας τον κόσμο γύρω του, σύντομα όμως η καταθλιπτική αυτή κατάσταση θα γεννήσει μια ιδέα στον Τζερόμ κι από εκείνο το σημείο η δράση απογειώνεται. Με ένα αξιέπαινο σεναριακό εύρημα οι άνθρωποι αλλάζουν, έρχονται πιο κοντά και ενώνουν τις φωνές τους για ειρήνη, αγάπη, ελπίδα, χαρά, ευτυχία, ενότητα κ. π. ά.

Εξίσου γλυκά και όμορφα εικονογραφεί ο συγγραφέας το κείμενό του, διαλέγοντας ζωηρά χρώματα και άφθαστη ομορφιά στα σχέδιά του. Ποικιλία χαρακτηριστικών και χρωμάτων, άνθρωποι αρτιμελείς και σε αμαξίδιο, όλων των φυλών και θρησκειών γεμίζουν τις σελίδες, δείχνοντας στα παιδιά την οικουμενικότητα του κειμένου και τονίζοντας την αποδοχή της διαφορετικότητας. Οι χιλιάδες λέξεις θα χαρίσουν ατέλειωτες ώρες ανάγνωσης και εκμάθησης στα παιδιά και πολλά στιγμιότυπα θα φέρουν αβίαστο γέλιο (όπως οι άνθρωποι μπροστά στη βιτρίνα των παιχνιδιών, τα οποία επίσης είναι για κλάματα όπως αποτυπώνονται).

«Το δώρο των λέξεων» είναι μια πραγματική έκπληξη για μικρούς και μεγάλους. Τα πάντα θα γίνουν καλύτερα μετά από αυτό αλλά πού και πώς θα μοιραστούν αυτές οι λέξεις στον κόσμο; Μια γλυκιά και τρυφερή ιστορία γεμάτη θετικά και χαρούμενα μηνύματα.

Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: https://www.vivliokritikes.com/%ce%b4...

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://yabookscentral.com/the-gift-o...

THE GIFT OF WORDS is a lovely holiday picture book. Jerome is looking for the perfect words to capture the holidays, but he is unable to find the right ones. He soon has an idea and creates a tree for people to add their favorite positive words. Together, they create something beautiful.

What I loved: This is a lovely nonspecific holiday read about the power of words and language to bring people together and evoke emotions. While he encounters words at stores about sales and purchases and he finds words from the news, these are not really what the season is about. Instead, he and his community create something more positive and lovely together. These themes are clear and powerful with great messages for young readers.

This would be a great pick for a classroom or group setting where children can help to pick their own positive words to add to a group collection, recreating the tree. This also creates some thoughtfulness about the words can make us and others feel with a note of care. The illustrations are lovely and colorful with plenty of great things to examine on each page.

While the holiday is nonspecific, there are only a few Christmas-related images, limited to what is on the cover of the book (sleigh with bags). As such, it could work in nonspecific holiday settings well.

Final verdict: THE GIFT OF WORDS is a lovely picture book about the power of words with a holiday touch.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Word Collector, Jerome, is back in this holiday book sure to become a favorite. Jerome is looking for inspiration this holiday season and he wants to find some good, positive words. The only problem is, everywhere he looks, he sees negative words. Sad ones. Words that don’t inspire hope at all. So, Jerome decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of his pup, Ekko, he starts a brilliant plan. Will Jerome and Ekko find the words to inspire their community during a tough time? Find out! Maybe you can do it, too.

To be honest, this book almost made me cry. I think the world is sometimes quite harsh, even, maybe especially, during the holidays. If you’re looking for something hopeful this season, I would highly recommend this book.

Finally, my words are: Find something good in every day, even if it’s something small.

Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Day 250

#FirstToCheckOut

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher

Jerome and his dog Ekko take a walk on a snowy day around the holidays, and are dismayed at the amount of negative words in the world. After seeing so many, and failing to collect as many hopeful words as he would like, Jerome goes through his word collection and chooses happier words that he then uses to decorate a tree in his community. Everyone rallies, and the people add more words to the tree and are brought closer together.

The illustrations are a marriage of Keats' The Snowy Day and Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and teachers and librarians will love the hopeful message. I liked the snowflakes in the background of the pictures, and the font was interesting.

[MrsK Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

MrsK's Review: Excellent Read-Aloud for Word Collecting
Once upon a snowy stroll, Jerome and Ekko felt the inspiration to collect words... with a notebook in hand he would gather words around his town. Yet, the seasonal words did not warm his heart. How would he give hope, or joy, or even Holiday cheer?

But then, he wondered what if? What if could give the words the world needed? In his house there were bags and boxes of words he had carefully collected. Next, he returned to the park... where he created an invite for all of those around. Will a bare tree begin its holiday bloom?

As an educator, life-long reader, and a collector of words, this is wonderful inspiration... I can only imagine what could pop up in our little town,
Joyfully inspired,
MrsK https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerome can’t wait to collect words this holiday season—words of hope, love, and joy to share with the people he cares about. But as he searches, he realizes that finding the right words isn’t always easy. Just when he’s about to give up, Jerome discovers the true power of connection—and learns that the greatest gift of all is sharing words from the heart.

What a sweet book! I love words just like Jerome and loved the feel-good feelings I got from reading this book. The holidays can be a tough time for everyone and I loved how the author had Jerome already collecting words and wanting to bring happiness to others during the holiday season. This is one that will become a holiday favorite!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another uplifting picture book about Jerome, the word collector. This time, Jerome is trying to collect holiday words to give to friends and family. Unfortunately, the words he sees on signs and hears around the neighborhood are not very warm and joyful. So Jerome gathers up the words he already has and invites everyone around to help him decorate a holiday tree. Oh, and they come up with some great sentences: "GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HELPERS." and "I DREAM OF A WORLD WITH NO HUNGER." A lovely story for the season that may inspire young writers to decorate their own holiday tree with their favorite words.

"Share your positive words.
May they inspire peace on Earth"
-- Peter H. Reynolds

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like the Christmas book we all need right now. In the darkest months of the year we always need light, but some years feel darker than others. This picture book, about the main character from the book THE WORD COLLECTOR, is about spreading positive words and thoughts to each other, about spreading joy. I love his empowering line "What if he could find a way to give the world the words it needed?" It is a simple message about the power of words, of just one person, and the contagiousness of optimism and joy.

[CONSTANCE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerome and his dog Ekko take off on a walk and he’s decided to collect words that he could give to the people he loved. As he walked he saw lots of words – words like Sale, No Loitering, Conflict. No those weren’t words to share. What about words he heard – words like Hurry Up, I’m Lonely. No those weren’t right either. So instead he finds a way to share words that he's loved and collected for years and then he finds a way to share them.
And this book is one more reason to love Peter Reynolds

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerome the Word Collector is back and trying to gather words of joy from the holiday season. Unfortunately, as he walks around town, he encounters darker words that are not warm and friendly. He decides to create his own welcoming space by placing words from his collection on a tree in the park. He invites everyone to share too. By the end, people have shared all sorts of warm messages and some have changed their attitudes. Lovely illustrations by Reynolds enhance the story.

[Brenda Kahn]

Jerome, the word collector is back, but now he seems surrounded by negative words, and so, he sets about collecting uplifting words for the community at the holiday. Lovely companion to The Word Collector.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it. Cute little holiday story about a kid trying to find holiday spirit/words but when he can't, share his own. My favorite bit was when he and his dog Ekko were looking at his saved faves, and Ekko was standing on HYDRANT.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

@peterhreynolds does it again with a picture book perfect for fans of Charlie Brown’s Christmas. We need more Jeromes in this world. ❄️ 🎄

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerome….I’ve got two words to add to your tree from me to you—“thank you!” 🙂

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good companion to the original title. Gorgeous illustrations. Undecided about whether it would be a good fit for a winter activity in the LC.

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watch out the message is so heavy it might knock you over the head.

[Josh Peatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Mr. Rogers would have loved this book. It certainly struck a chord with me. I really love the development of the idea. Sweet and meaningful without being cheesy or preachy.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely follow-up to The Word Collector. Great holiday choice for this year.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A feel good holiday picture book. The power of words to uplift and bring people together.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful treasure from Peter H. Reynolds about using our positive words to encourage others! A much-needed message for all of us! ❤️

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great message. We do hear lots of negative messages regularly

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful holiday book with a beautiful message.

[J-l · Rating 4 out of 5]

So pleased to add this to my holiday themed books. I think I'll have my students design a holiday tree based on this book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Jerome! We love Peter H Reynolds. Happy Holidays

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the focus on how capitalistic words don’t give the positive holiday vibes as much as words of family and community do