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The Best Gift

Jibraan explores his many talents and gifts. He loves learning new skills. But what’s the Best Gift of all?

Suggested age: 4–6岁 · Reading level L2 · 14 illustrated pages

The Best Gift — original illustrated page 1, English text included

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Jibraan explores his many talents and gifts. He loves learning new skills. But what’s the Best Gift of all?

Read all 14 story pages
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 1, English text included
The Best Gift
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 2, English text included
Jibraan loves building with toy bricks. Dad says, "That's very good, Jibraan. You've got a gift for building things!"
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 3, English text included
What if I have another gift? Jibraan wonders. "Do I have just one gift Dad?" he asks. "You'll only know if you try many things," says Dad. "I want to try cricket," says Jibraan.
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 4, English text included
He joins the cricket club at school and learns to bat and bowl. He hits the ball hard. Puuu!
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 5, English text included
"Wow!" says Coach Uno. "What a great batsman you are. You've got a gift, Jibraan!"
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 6, English text included
At karate class, Jibraan practises his katas with Sensai Shaukat. His friend Sumeya does them well. "Excellent, Sumeya!" says Sensai Shaukat. Jibraan tries again. He makes another mistake. Wuu! Wiii! Waa! Wiii! He smiles at Sumeya and high-fives her. "You’re really good, Sumeya. You have a gift." "You didn’t give up, Jibraan. That’s a gift too," says Sumeya.
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 7, English text included
"How was Karate?" asks Dad. "I made many mistakes and I didn't give up, Dad. Karate is Sumeya's gift." "You'll discover other gifts," says Dad. Jibraan wonders what they are...
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 8, English text included
I love music. Am I good at music? "Dad, can I play the drums?" he asks. "Well, let's try," says Dad.
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 9, English text included
They turn some pots and buckets upside down and get two wooden spoons for drum sticks. Jibraan imagines a whole band playing with him. He beats the drum to a simple rhythm. didadda! Paa!!
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 10, English text included
Little Laith rocks back and didadda! forth on the chair as Jibraan plays the drums. Ding!! Wiki Wiki!!! Wiki Wiki!!! Dadum, dadum, dadum, Dadum didadda dadum. Dadum!!
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 11, English text included
"That sounds amazing," says Dad. "I love that beat. You’ve got a gift, Jibraan." Jibraan laughs. He loves discovering a new talent when he tries something new. "This is fun, Dad! I love my gifts." Hahaha! Yeeee! Yaaa! Yeeees!
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 12, English text included
Just then, Little Laith rocks the chair over and falls to the floor. Jibraan jumps to help his baby brother. "Are you okay, little Laith?" he asks. Aaaahh! He rubs Little Laith’s head. He kisses Little Laith’s tears. "Can I kiss it better, Little Laith?" he asks. "Can I hug it better, Little Laith?"
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 13, English text included
Dad smiles. "Aha!" says Dad. "Look how kind and loving you are. That’s the best gift of all! That’s the one to practise everyday." Jibraan laughs. Little Laith laughs too. "What’s your gift, Little Laith?" he asks. Hihihihi! Hahahaha! Hihihihihi!
The Best Gift — original illustrated page 14, English text included

Creators and open license

Written by
Hani du Toit
Illustrated by
Chantelle & Burgen Thorne
Created by
Chantelle & Burgen Thorne (Illustrator); Ezra Harerimana (Designer); Alison Ziki (Editor); Hani du Toit (Writer)

Source: Book Dash
Original: The Best Gift from Book Dash
License: CC BY 4.0

Original illustrated spreads and embedded English story text preserved; website layout and printable PDF assembled by Little Leaf. Age, level, theme and recommendation are editorial suggestions. Web and printable layout adapted by Little Leaf. Age and reading-level suggestions are editorial. Original stories and artwork belong to their credited creators. Website narration uses the selected synthetic Voice 7.