An old man faces his first Christmas without his wife of many years in this poignant, ultimately hopeful picture-book from author/illustrator Jane Monroe Donovan. Going about his chores on Christmas Eve, the man recalls Christmases past, when he and his wife would seek out the perfect tree, bring it home, and decorate it together. The star they put on top always symbolized hope, but this year the man was sunk into loneliness, and had no hope. Then a pregnant mare, separated from her herd and lost in the snowy woods, found her way to him, and in helping this lost soul, the man found what he needed again...

A title I stumbled across by accident, Winter's Gift drew me in with its gorgeous cover, and I picked it up, unaware that it was a Christmas story, rather than just a wintry tale. I'm not sorry to have discovered it however, as I found the story moving and the artwork absolutely beautiful. It is not so common to see the experiences of the elderly in books for young children, so I am always happy to encounter a story which presents their lives in a humane and relatable way, one that builds empathy and fellow-feeling in the young. This was my first book from Donovan, but I certainly hope it will not be my last! Recommended to picture-book readers looking for touching stories featuring grief and healing, Christmas, the elderly, and/or lost animals in need of hope. ( )

Beautifully illustrated, with a story that touches emotions of sincere empathy and then joy!

A grieving elderly man, A Christmas Eve snow storm, a horse lost as the snow pelts her coat and makes it very difficult tot continue to walk! What a wonderful compilation coming together helping each other! While this horse is not a pet, she does what animals do best, they bring joy and hope.

When the snow increases, the grieving man remembers that one year ago on Christmas Eve, his wife was there as together they placed the star on the tree. Now, he is sad and simply trying to get through the night. As he walks outside, he thinks he hears something. Turning back while walking toward his house, he discovers a horse on the ground.

Gently, he helps her walk into the warm, cosy barn. As he feeds her and makes sure she is comfortable, he falls asleep on a bale of hay. Awaking in the morning, he hears a lovely sound and sees a baby horse. Watching the mother tend to her baby, he notes that in the center of the head is a perfect star!

Yes, this is soapy and over the top, but it is just what is needed during these times of level four hurricane gales bashing into Texas and New Orleans, LA, a pandemic that increases, two political conventions with vast differences regarding how to run this troubled nation, and again, yet one more shooting of a black man, this one seven bullets in the back!

I will escape into the lovely illustrated books I've collected.

This book was about an older man who woke up one morning to go chop wood. As he did this, he reminisced on the Christmases he had had in the past. Him and his wife would cut down their Christmas tree and decorate it together. But this year was going to be different because he had lost his wife earlier that year. He had also started to lose hope and became very lonely. When the old man thought he saw something out in the snow, he went to see what it was. It was a horse that had fallen in the snow. He helped the horse up and took it to his barn where he slept with he horse over night. When he woke up, there was a baby horse in the stable with them. It was a christmas miracle and the man had hope once again. I thought this book was very entering and taught the lesson of loss and having hope. I think it is good to read to children who have lost someone and is good to read around Christmas time to remind children of Christmas miracles if that is a holiday they celebrate. ( )

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I'd honestly give this book more than five stars if I could. It's a beautiful and somewhat tear-jerking Christmas story for children. An older man and his wife have many special Christmas traditions throughout the years, until something changes. Is all hope lost? Read along in the story to discover a message of assurance. This book is undoubtedly one to keep! ( )

Summary: An old, discouraged man was sad that Christmas was around the corner. He had lost his wife earlier that year and they had always loved spending Christmastime together, so he decided he would not celebrate the holiday. Meanwhile, there was an enormous snow storm outside and a young mare had fallen behind from her pack. Unhappy about the weather and lonely about his wife, the old man decided to go to sleep. As he was drifting off he heard a soft whinny outside and decided to go and search. He found the mare and brought her inside of his barn to keep her warm and feed her. When the mare was settled the man drifted off to sleep and when he woke up, next to the mare was a newborn foal.

Review: A sweet and quiet book for young readers, Donovan writes a wonderful message about keeping hope in desperate times. At the beginning of the book the old man drags himself around the house and "daydreams about past Christmases" (p. 5). He is quite hopeless during this time of year because he lost his wife and this is the first Christmas without her. When he found the mare and brought her into his life the man opened up his heart to new experiences. Then when the mare gave birth to her foal the old man looked at this foal like a new meaning. The man was able to find hope again and could not wait for Christmas to come. ( )