Claire's Gift

Claire's Gift
by Maxine Trottier
Illustrated by Rajka Kupesic

This story of the evolving friendship between 10-year-old Claire and her Tante Marie is one of the most heart-warming of that wonderful Canadian author, Maxine Trottier.

Set in the quaint Acadian Cape Breton village of Cheticamp, the old art of rug hooking is central and there is a smattering of French that is easily understood in context.Tante Marie has hosted a number of nieces and nephews for a summer of Maritime fiddle music and dancing and fun. Her father, Paul, one of the aforesaid nephews, is away in the war and her mother must assume work in the factory, as many women stepped up to do while the men were away fighting. Unlike the others though, Claire is miserable. Claire does not respond to the overtures of the village children. Tante Marie is stymied by this silent, smileless child - until one night when she sees Claire quietly watching her work on a hooked rug. Claire answers to her invitation to sit close and even ventures to give this a try. Now the summer passes quickly as she happily hones her skill, creating a rug of her own. By the time her mother sends for her to return home, Claire loves Tante Marie and is looking forward to future summer visits. At Christmastime, a package and heartfelt note arrive for Tante Marie from Claire. I won't spoil the surprise by telling the nature of Claire's special gift but I will share this little story...

When I read this part of the book to Mrs. K's grade 3 class, twenty-odd little faces turned up to mine and one whispered, "Mrs. K. is crying!" Acknowledging the tenderness of the moment, I whispered back, "Oh, I just love it when I find a story so good I can make the teachers cry!" Needless to say Mrs. K. laughed at that, dispelling their concern for her, and we all enjoyed the beautiful ending. Apart from the great story with its Maritime flavour, we especially enjoyed the folk-art style of the award-winning illustrations by Rajka Kupesic.

ISBN: 978-0-439-98860-5