O. Henry's classic Christmas tale, The Gift of the Magi, gets an interfaith ursine retelling in this sweet picture book from author/illustrator Dara Goldman. The eponymous Boris and Stella, two bears of different faiths and ethnicities, had a lot in common and were fast friends. Stella, an Italian Christian baker, was determined to get Boris the perfect Hanukkah gift, and having little money, sold the heirloom potted tree she had inherited from her father to buy him a special dreidel to add to his collection. Boris, a Russian Jewish musician, was determined for his part to get Stella the best Christmas gift ever, selling his dreidel collection to buy her a beautiful star to adorn her tree...

Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift is the first book I have read from Goldman, and I found it quite heartwarming, with a lovely story full of holiday appeal and charming illustrations done in what looks like watercolor. I love the original O. Henry story, so I was interested to see this interfaith adaptation for children. Although it didn't have the sharp poignancy of the original, it was still full of the holiday spirit, emphasizing those same themes of love and self-sacrifice that have made O. Henry's story such an enduring classic. I appreciated the fact that our two eponymous bears are so determined to honor one another's traditions—surely a prerequisite for a successful relationship crossing religious lines. I don't know that I would strongly recommend this as a retelling of the O. Henry, as there are some gorgeous picture book editions of that tale—notably, the editions illustrated by P.J. Lynch and/or Sonja Danowski—but I do think it is a sweet story to be shared by those looking for holiday fare featuring both Christmas and Hanukkah. ( )