Need a good book for a Christmas gift?

If you like sharing books for Christmas, this would be a very nice one for a child (or an adult child, like me). I intend to keep the copy I bought for my library.

It's titled "Winter's Gift" and is written and illustrated by Jane Monroe Donovan.

Her illustrations are wonderful - very authentic, the mare's look makes you want to cry!

We have an old man, who's wife died earlier in the year, and he's not going to put up a tree or put the star on top that they had done in the past, he's just going to have a quiet Christmas, alone...

And a mare has gotten separated from her herd and is looking for shelter - she can hear wolves. But she can't find anyplace that she could find shelter and finally gave up and laid down, with a little nicker.

She was close to the old man's house, and he went out to check on her, and put her in his barn.

He stayed out there with her and fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning, there she was - with a foal!

And, lo and behold, her foal has a star in the middle of his forehead...

Its beautiful illustrations make it a joy to read. And he wasn't alone at Christmas after all...