THE GINGERBREAD PIRATES
by Kristin Kladstrup & illustrated by Matt Tavares
Captain Cookie is a gingerbread pirate, leader of a batch of buccaneer cookies baked by a boy named Jim and his mom. On Christmas Eve, a plate of the gingerbread pirates is left out for Santa, and Captain Cookie tries to save his men before they are eaten. When Santa arrives, he promises not to eat the pirates and shows them what he has left under the tree: a pirate ship. Captain Cookie and his men take over the ship, and during the night they are transformed by Christmas magic into toy pirates to complete Jim’s Christmas present. Illustrator Tavares handles this transformation subtly, and children will enjoy marking the switch from cookie to toy. An extra-large format makes this a fine choice for reading aloud to a group. (Picture book. 3-6)