Ever since his mother had come home from the hospital, Raymond wasn’t supposed to go outside." This is the next-door-neighbor’s advice, and whether or not it’s good advice, Raymond makes the best of a bad situation, eating milk and cookies while he watches the world from his bedroom window. What he sees out the window gives him an idea for a present that might make his mother feel better. But it isn’t going to be easy.

Therese On Louie’s story reads like a thriller. The author manages to create astonishing tension and suspense out of the stuff of everyday life. When Raymond learns he doesn’t have enough money to buy his present, he must find another way to get it. When his mother has to return to the hospital, he must face the fact that the present he intended for her may not last until she comes home again.

Raymond’s Perfect Present is also a story about the importance of community. Raymond’s next-door neighbors help him realize the dream of his present, then take him in when his mother has to go back to the hospital. If only all children had neighbors like the Silvers.

Suling Wang’s illustrations are magnificent. Her picture of Raymond lying awake in the dark is a gentle reminder that no childhood is carefree. The look on Raymond’s mother’s face after her discovery of a present that is a surprise not only for her, but also for her son, is a testimony to the healing power of the boy’s generous love.

These wonderful characters deserve a happy ending, and, as sometimes happens, they get one.Raymond’s Perfect Present has a simple but crucial message not only for the four- to ten-year-olds at whom it is aimed, but for everyone lucky enough to encounter this jewel of a book: kindness eases hardship. Bravo to the author and the illustrator for giving us a book that could change the world for the better, a little bit at a time.