The Legend of the Christmas Cookie

October 1, 2008
K-Gr 2-Its the Depression, and Jacks father in away from the family, in search of work. On Christmas Eve, a wonderful aroma momentarily lifts Jacks spirits until he finds out that the cookies baking in the oven are for the needy. To ease his disappointment, Jacks mother tells him about the origin of Christmas cookies. During the Middle Ages, a woodcarver and his wife made cookie molds to help them tell the story of the Nativity. Jacks mother surprises him with an angel cookie on Christmas morning and, in the spirit of the story hes been told, he gives it to a destitute stranger who comes to the door begging for food. While at times the prose is too precise in pointing out the parallels between the two eras (e.g., Jack]wondered if times in the Middle Ages had been harder than they were right now, and if boys missed their fathers like he missed his) and the appearance of the poor stranger at the door is contrived, the overall lesson of giving prevails. The atmospheric illustrations depict Jacks kitchen as spare but welcoming. The mouthwatering cookies look as if they can satisfy both physical and spiritual hunger. Refreshingly stripped of holiday commercialism, this is an appropriate title for those who wish to introduce a new perspective to the Christmas story."Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2008
It's the Depression, and Jack and his mother struggle to get by in their small town. When Jack's mother begins to bake cookies to give away to others, she explains the history behind the family's wooden cookie molds and draws Jack into her baking. As they work together, she tells him the story of European woodcarvers and their families in the Middle Ages making cookies in shapes that could be used to tell the story of Christ's birth. Jack's only Christmas gift that year is a large angel cookie, which he then gives away to a stranger who arrives on Christmas morning. Jack offers the angel cookie to the man with a few concluding sentences that convey his beliefs, neatly echoing the Biblical concept that any stranger might be an angel and must be given hospitality. The tale is told in an understated way, complemented by Chabrian's sensitive watercolor illustrations, which convey Jack's range of emotions. (author's note, cookie recipe) (Picture book. 5-9)

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