ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

It's Leo's birthday! The opening scene, using a unique setting with elements of magical realism, shows Leo, a sort of spotted cat, celebrating and opening gifts as monkeys wearing hats scatter confetti over him. Leo's father gives him a special gift, a pen, and tells him there are beautiful things inside it. Papa, who walks on four legs but wears a shirt and pants, is going out but promises to show Leo how the pen works when he returns. Fascinated, Leo tries to find the beautiful things. His older sister is lounging nearby on a vine, wearing headphones and reading a magazine. He asks her for help, but she only spills some ink. A hen and a giraffe are equally unhelpful, but Mama takes the time to show Leo how to use the pen to make words and drawings. When Papa returns, he admires all the beautiful things. The Cameroonian author and French illustrator imbue the animal characters with recognizable warm family relationships along with appealing, unexpected touches of whimsy.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Leo, a young cheetah, gets a pen for his birthday. His father promises that after returning from the market he will show Leo how to make "beautiful things" emerge. Impatient, Leo asks his big sister; a hen named Coco-Tembo; and giraffe Super-Zombo, but none knows how a pen works. Leo's mother finally shows him how to write his name, and tells him that "all the words in the world" are in the pen. Leo then draws on his own, and the story ends with the child showing his delighted father his creations. The prose is direct and feels effortless in this satisfying tale about innate creativity. Renon's cheery colored-pencil and ink illustrations feature animals dressed in appealing clothing and framed by lush, decorative greenery. The simple figures and bold hues on clean white backgrounds give the book a friendly, open feel. Along with the heartfelt message, the story and pictures contain touches of humor. Leo's sister sports headphones and looks to be reading a magazine. The giraffe tries (and fails) to use the pen as a flute. This is Cameroonian writer and poet Dzotap's first book to be translated into English, and it will be welcomed on preschool and kindergarten shelves. Maeve Visser Knoth

Kirkus Reviews

A charming picture book from one of Cameroon's leading children's authors reminds readers that small things can hold great power.Leo, a young leopard, receives a pen as a birthday gift from his father. Dad tells him that "there are all sorts of beautiful things inside your pen," but Leo has no idea how to get them out. So, he and his lizard friend set off to find someone who can help. They ask Leo's big sister, but all she can get out of the pen is ink. They ask Coco-Tembo, a hen neighbor who is skeptical that beautiful things can hide in such a tiny object; and a giraffe friend who thinks the pen would be better put to use as a flute. Leo and the lizard are finally enlightened by Leo's mother, who tells them that "all the words in the world" can be found in the pen. Leo writes all the words he knows, then tries his hand at drawing, and "soon the whole world is coming out of his pen!" The story ends rather abruptly yet is lovely nonetheless. The real highlight is Renon's exquisite artwork, which is softly colorful, presenting elegant scenes of lush forest flora and fauna and dainty, fashionably dressed animal characters. Younger children will have fun locating the various forest creatures in the artwork. The images will be easy to see from a distance during a read-aloud, but the font size is unusually small. The Gift is Dzotap's first book published in English.A beautiful look at the wonder of creativity and self-expression. Not to be missed! (Picture book. 4-7)

School Library Journal (Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2022)

K-Gr 3 Leo, a young cheetah cub, is given a red pen for his birthday by his father. His father shares with Leo that there are many beautiful things inside of the pen, but he will have to wait until his father returns from the market to discover them. As one might expect a young cub to be, he grows impatient and tries to bring the beautiful things out of the pen with the help of others. The text moves along at a good pace, revealing just enough, and Renon remarkably illustrates the colorful characters who try to help Leo. The lush, green jungle glistens in the background as Leo makes his way from one character to the next, until eventually he asks for help from his mother. As she places her paw over Leo's, she is able to help him, too. Ever so slowly, they move the pen across the paper until he discovers that they have written his name. Eventually he uses the pen on his own to create extraordinary illustrations across several pages of paper. His father returns and praises Leo's illustrations, telling him that he is a natural. VERDICT A wonderful title to include in collections, teaching children to find the gifts they hold inside. Katie Callahan