The author (P. J. Day), his two brothers, and two sisters grew up in the magical valley of Tesuque (Tazookey), located about five miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of the family pets was a little gray burro they had named Pedro, who was less than a year old when he came to live with them. While reminiscing about that marvelous childhood on Christmas Day 2001, the first book, A Burro's Tale, was conceived. Some years after that, the story continued in Call of the Burro, followed by The Burro's Colt and now the fourth book in the series, Tilly's Gift.

The setting for Tilly's Gift continues to be the Tesuque Valley. Pedro, Snowball, and Jenny are the last three remaining burros from the original herd of working burros on the ranch. The burros' hard work and loyalty are responsible for the tremendous success of the ranch that the whole family enjoys today. Tilly is Raphael and Mama's youngest grandchild, and she is attempting to break free of childhood and into adolescence. She has an eye for adventure and has been granted an uncanny ability to gain an injured animal's trust so that she can protect them while she helps them heal. In Tilly's Gift, you, too, may wonder if Tilly's healing skills have been limited to merely helping animals; or, when necessary, has she also been blessed with a direct line of communication to Jesus Christ himself?