It's the Christmas season during a time when people had little money to spend. Cookie jars held pennies, not Christmas cookies. So when Jack smells something delicious coming from the kitchen, he can't believe his nose. Cookies! But his excitement turns to disappointment when he learns the cookies aren't for him. Instead, Mother is baking them for the needy people at their church. While Jack helps roll out the dough, his mother tells him the legend of the Christmas cookie. In a captivating interplay of simple words and beautiful illustrations, The Legend of the Christmas Cookie tells a tender story of giving---not just cookies, but gifts of the heart that last forever.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–It's the Depression, and Jack's father in away from the family, in search of work. On Christmas Eve, a wonderful aroma momentarily lifts Jack's spirits until he finds out that the cookies baking in the oven are for the needy. To ease his disappointment, Jack's 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. Jack's mother surprises him with an angel cookie on Christmas morning and, in the spirit of the story he's 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 Jack's 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of over 400 books and still can't believe she gets to write for a living, helping children of all ages grow spiritually. She and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they're blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats.
Deborah Chabrian was born in Illinois into a large creative family where holidays were always made special. Her artistic talents have taken her from'The Best Bunny' in kindergarten, to graduating with honors from Parson's School of Design in NYC, to painting 500 book covers and hundreds of still life paintings and winning many awards. She now lives in a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Connecticut with her artist husband, Ed Martinez; children, Oliver and Gabriella; and miscellaneous cats, hamsters, and fish.
Deborah Chabrian was born in Illinois into a large creative family where holidays were always made special. Her artistic talents have taken her from'The Best Bunny' in kindergarten, to graduating with honors from Parson's School of Design in NYC, to painting 500 book covers and hundreds of still life paintings and winning many awards. She now lives in a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Connecticut with her artist husband, Ed Martinez; children, Oliver and Gabriella; and miscellaneous cats, hamsters, and fish.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truth & Love - Great Christmas Match In One Book!,
This review is from: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth (Hardcover)
In this wonderful book we are taken back to a simple time, a time where money was not abundant and life had more than its share of challenges. We meet Jack, whose father has had to travel away from home to find work. Unfortunately he is not able to be with his family during Christmas and this saddens Jack.
Jack's mother begins to make Christmas cookies. Jack is excited at first, but soon learns that these cookies will be given to needy. Jack does not understand for surely they were the ones who were needy. His mom shares with him the origin of cookie making and the meaning behind it. At first Jack isn't impressed, but when he helps a homeless man with the one cookie he is given his heart rejoices at sharing the true message of Christmas, Jesus. This is a beautiful tale. Wrapping a story around the true beginning of cookie making it touches the very core of the meaning of that wonderful day. The illustrations are very realistic and definitely help to bring the story alive. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gift is sharing,
By DaBrowns "A Home without Books is like a Hous... (Retiring in Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful book. Living in Germany, when you've had the pleasure of making friends, especially the older Deutsch, you will get a plate of cookies at Christmas! This is a great gift to give as well, by "Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth".
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully told story about Christmas cookies and generosity of spirit,
By Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth (Hardcover)
The Gift of the Christmas Cookie by Dandi Daley Mackall & Deborah Chabrian is subtitled Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth, which is what the book is really all about. First Mia's thoughts: The book starts with Jack's mommy baking Christmas cookies for the church. My favorite part of the story was when Jack shared his cookie and the story about Jesus with the stranger. I really like cookies! Now my review: Jack and his mom have missing his father for nearly a year since he left to get work in the city. Every cent has to be saved, so when Jack smells the scent of cookies when coming home, he at first can't believe his nose. His mom bursts his hope when she explains that the cookies will be for the needy at church, but she tempers his disappointment by explaining that Christmas cookies were originally intended to share the story of the birth of Jesus with others. It's a lesson Jack takes to heart come Christmas morning. Chabrian's artwork is outstanding, soft, very nostalgic, but with great beauty. Each page is honestly a work of art. Mia was, I think, I bit young for the deeper aspects of the story, but she really loved Jack's generosity at the end, and as she ages, this is a story that will become more meaningful for her in time.
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