CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Rosenthal and Dyer follow up their popular collaboration, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons (2006), with this delightful sequel, which uses the same format to introduce concepts and feelings set in kitchen vignettes, this time during the Christmas season. In Dyer’s charming watercolor illustrations, several children and anthropomorphic animals are shown baking cookies with each other or their parents, and the young bakers and their cookies are cleverly used to illustrate concepts set in capital letters, such as TRADITION (wearing the same aprons each year), FRUSTRATED (burned cookies) or THOUGHTFUL (sharing with neighbors). Many of the concepts are ones that are often difficult to get across to younger children: PERSEVERANCE, GRATITUDE and GRACIOUS. The text, while conveying little lessons in etiquette, is never preachy, using a light touch and the sweetener of the cookies to get the points across. The last few pages gracefully include many of the best concepts of the season, BELIEVE, JOY, PEACE and HOPE, with thoughtful but concise definitions that young readers will understand. A simple recipe for Christmas cookies concludes this sweet but fulfilling holiday treat. (Picture book. 3-6)