A Christmas reminiscence from the Italian-American cooking-show host. Her warmhearted autobiographical story begins in a contemporary Christmas setting with the author, her five grandchildren and her own mother. The author then gathers her grandchildren around to recount her memories of childhood Christmases in Italy, when all the decorations for their trees were homemade cookies and ornaments made from natural materials such as figs and bay leaves. The next section includes the recipes for the 16 holiday treats mentioned in the story, primarily different types of Christmas cookies. A final section describes the family’s traditions for decorating their tree in more detail. Logan’s pleasant illustrations of the happy family add to the amiable overall effect. The main story is accessible enough to children, but making the recipes will clearly require an adult’s assistance. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 5-8)
