The Legend of the Poinsettia

Tomie de Paola never fails to draw emotions with his recounting of traditional folktales from 'other' cultures, so close to our own. The magic of Christmas is a favorite subject for the author and my kids share this passion - even in the heat of summer. I never heard of the story of the poinsettia flower. Lovely. And the story of the little girl is empowering. De Paola has a way to be evocative without overstating, everything is kept simple, serene. Even the poverty of a once-upon-a-time rural context is oddly comforting. Somehow, it makes you feel the wealth we enjoy has, on the way, deprived us of something equally poignant. I recommend this book.

This is such a beautiful story about a little girl in Mexico and a gift for the baby Jesus. The illustrations are vibrant, simple and beautiful. I recommend this for all at Christmas time.

Bought as a gift. lovely illustration. Was very much loved..

The children really enjoyed this story. I intend to buy the other books written by this author to compliment my collection.

Lovely book. ,y grandchildren love it.

This book was a St Nicholas gift to our 20 month old daughter, and she and her almost five year old brother both love it. The story is so direct and reaches a child's heart - the fear that they have ruined something, the overheard conversations, the pride in their work, and so on. The illustrations glow with colour and simplicity, and attracted both children to drink in each page with great attention. The brightness was especially magnetic to our little girl. It is a story which is a pleasure to read over and over again too, which is very important after all!

I have never stopped telling peolpe about this wonderful story. How fitting it is to tell at Christmas time to bring a different dimension to the story of the birth of Jesus and the gifts that we can offer.

It's a lovely book - long enough to be a nice bed time or start to a lesson on the Symbols of Christmas but short enough and engaging enough to get through it. Gorgeous illustrations and an awesome message, too!

I read this story to my Sunday school class. This sweet story is about a little girl that thinks she has nothing to offer or bring on Christmas. However, an elder shows her that she can bring what she can, which everyone thought they were just weeds from the side of the road. However, her offering turned into something beautiful. A great reminder that when we bring what we can, with a heart that longs to worship, God takes care of the rest!

Such a lovely story. My kiddos found the story engaging and I love that it was educational as well. One of our favourite holiday homeschool books!

Fantastic book for Christmas time.

What a beautiful story about how special a simple gift from the heart can be. I’ve seen this book around, but wasn’t familiar with the story. I got it for my 4 and 7 year old sons. They both enjoyed, it may be a little long for younger kids. The pictures were beautiful, story was simple and sweet. I honestly got a little choked up at the end because the message is so important: a gift from the heart is meaningful, no matter how small. Great talking points to discuss with kids, and they enjoy learning about other cultures. Get this book!

I love everything Tomie dePaola, this story is no different. Beautiful illustrations and a well written story, this book shows the love of a daughter for her mother and baby Jesus. The writing is smooth and flows really well, a real page turner.