Devin's Gift

Luka is turning 5, and his best friend Devin is stumped at what to get him. Devin wants to find the perfect gift for Luka, after all, they do everything together, but none of his family’s suggestions seems to be a good fit. Devin turns to his grandmother, who always gets the right gift, and with her advice, he’s able to find the perfect gift for Luka.

What I Liked: This book introduces you to Devin first, who is a bit worried since he still hasn’t picked out a gift for his best friend’s birthday. The story then provides you with a bit of context for Devin and Luka’s friendship by showing how they first met, which becomes important to the selection of a perfect gift for Luka. This story does a great job at highlighting that while people try to be helpful by giving suggestions, sometimes the best help comes from just offering advice rather than trying to solve things quickly.

The illustrations throughout the book are cute and go along well with the story. The illustrations aren’t too busy for a young reader, so that they don’t get lost in the images and forget about the story. Even when Devin is at the store and you can see all the choices for gifts in front of him, some have brief details so that others can stand out. It's fascinating to see how the illustrator differentiates between the dinosaurs, dolls, and various other toys while still having them remain more in the background of the illustration.

Final Verdict: Devin’s Gift is a simple story about friendship and how the best gift you can grant someone is embracing them as they are. This book is perfect for children ages 4 and up, as it teaches them that the important part of a gift is the thought that was behind it. The gift that Devin got for Luka was perfect because it acknowledged the start of their friendship and something that Luka was struggling with, while highlighting that the two of them would always be together.