The Third Gift

From two extraordinary talents comes a beautifully crafted picture book for the Christmas season. A boy is learning his father’s craft, recognising the trees that release valuable resin and gathering the round drops, which look almost like pearls. Or tears. Today is a proud turning point for the boy. They have found a ‘tear’ of unusual size, big enough to fill his two hands. And in the marketplace, three strangers have their own surprising reason for wishing to buy the day’s harvest. From an award-winning author and illustrator comes a moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event providing a window into a time some two thousand years ago. The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medallist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this book brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Includes an author’s note.