The Special Gift
A beautiful festive story to share at Christmastime
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
32 pages
978-1-4083-6917-3 (ISBN)
Description
A magical, festive tale of friendship, resilience and the true meaning of gift-giving. Written by Ruth Doyle and beautifully illustrated by Carmen Saldana, this is a Christmas story to treasure year after year.
On a night of swirling snow, the storm carries Donkey far from the farm where there is no longer room for him. He's lost, alone and certain he has nothing to offer the world.
But when a message from a magical bird leads Donkey to follow a bright star, he finds a new purpose: to reach the forest and learn what gifts and treasures he has to share.
On his travels, Donkey meets other animals who are lost in their own way: a lonely lamb, an old sheepdog who longs to be useful and a robin searching for a reason to sing. Guided by Donkey, the new friends help each other to navigate the storm to safety . . .
And it is there, in the forest, where they find somewhere to belong . . . and learn that the greatest gifts we can share, are those we carry inside us.
This is the perfect story to share at Christmastime to remind us of the most special gift we can offer - our own kindness.
On a night of swirling snow, the storm carries Donkey far from the farm where there is no longer room for him. He's lost, alone and certain he has nothing to offer the world.
But when a message from a magical bird leads Donkey to follow a bright star, he finds a new purpose: to reach the forest and learn what gifts and treasures he has to share.
On his travels, Donkey meets other animals who are lost in their own way: a lonely lamb, an old sheepdog who longs to be useful and a robin searching for a reason to sing. Guided by Donkey, the new friends help each other to navigate the storm to safety . . .
And it is there, in the forest, where they find somewhere to belong . . . and learn that the greatest gifts we can share, are those we carry inside us.
This is the perfect story to share at Christmastime to remind us of the most special gift we can offer - our own kindness.
Reviews / Votes
The perfect Christmas Book * Katy's Bookshelf, blogger * Sweet and beautiful * The Kids Bookstagrammer, blogger * A heartwarming tale that will definitely be a Christmas favourite here in the years to come * Books for Little Bookworms, blogger * Simply gorgeous * Posie's Book Club, blogger * With a big heart and a sprinkle of magic * Milo and Gigi's Bookshelf, blogger *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hachette Children's Group
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 3 years
Dimensions
Height: 273 mm
Width: 251 mm
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight
222 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4083-6917-3 (9781408369173)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2024
1st Edition
ORCHARD BOOKS
€2.99
Available for download
Persons
Ruth Doyle is a children's author who lives on a farm in Kent with a flock of forty sheep, eight chickens, three dogs, two rescued miniature horses, six guinea pigs, two rabbits, one husband and two children. Her love of nature inspires all of her stories, and her animals even accompany her on animal-writing workshops at local schools. Carmen Saldana lives in Gijon, a little rainy city in the north of Spain. After studying Arts, she worked as a graphic designer in advertising agencies before becoming a freelance illustrator focusing on children's books, the field she enjoys the most. She loves furry animals, birds, bugs, leaves and everything related with nature, her main source of inspiration for her illustrations.