Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies
Illustrator: Catherine Stock
Series
For ages 5 to 7
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000 ISBN: 978-0374428150
It is Christmas time and Gus and Grandpa are making Christmas cookies. It is not easy to do because the dough keeps sticking to everything but it is great fun. After the cookies are in the oven Grandpa realises that they don’t have ay sprinkles to decorate their creations with. So, out into the snow Grandpa and Gus go. During their shopping expedition Gus discovers that Christmas is not only a time for making cookies, Christmas trees and opening presents. He finds out that it is also a time to be thinking about the less fortunate and to give to those who are in need. Back at home Grandpa and Gus finish their cookies and then the doorbell starts to ring. It would seem that many of Grandpa’s neighbours think that he needs some Christmas cookies and many of them have done some baking for him. What is Grandpa going to do with all these cookies?
In four short, charmingly illustrated chapters the author tells a delicious seasonal story about how a little boy discovers that giving is one of the joys of Christmas. Easy to read and yet challenging at the same time, this is a perfect book for a child who is just starting to get used to chapter books.
