Catch “The Cookie Thief” and Capture Young Readers

Cookies are awesome. We can all agree on this, right? While we all might have different favorites, we can also all agree that if someone was going around stealing said cookies, we’d be upset. We certainly would want to go on the hunt to find the thief if he or she found our cookies’ secret spot.

This is the predicament Thomas finds himself in while visiting his grandmother in the charmingly simple book The Cookie Thief by Frances Gilbert. When he visits Granny, he’s anxiously anticipating her delicious cookies when he hears a patter, a swoop and a rush. Oh no! The cookies have disappeared right before their eyes. Her favorite raspberry thumb print cookies are no more and she spreads the word to the rest of Thomas’ family that there’s a thief in their midst.

Thomas’ family rushes to protect their baked assets. Uncle Jeremy hides his favorites in his work truck and insists his dog stand guard. Aunt Sarah thinks she can avoid the thief by hiding her favorite cookies in her stable and kindly asks her goat to keep watch. Aunt Deborah’s parrot is put in charge of her cookies, which are cleverly hidden in her rain boots.

Each time Thomas returned, the cherished cookies are gone. Was it the animals? Was it a stranger? Thomas is upset, he likes cookies and people are hiding them from him!

He approaches his grown-up friend Kristina, who helps him make a plan to track down the cookie thief. She says they will need to hide and keep watch for the cookie thief to catch him or her in the act. Thomas is on board with the plan until Kristina says they should hide behind the couch. Suddenly his camouflage doesn’t hide his discomfort at the idea of going with her behind the couch.

Like all youngsters, Thomas has a few concerns about hiding in an enclosed space. It’s dark, it’s squished, and there are mice! Kristina comforts him, convinces him that they can overcome all these fears. She says they will hold hands and crouch low and even bring a cage to catch the mouse. She tells him they will be brave and together they will find the thief. But will Kristina discover the real reason Thomas is so afraid of what’s behind the couch?

Colorful, detailed pictures (a favorite is watching Kristina and Thomas load up on war paint for their spying adventure) will lead young readers through the story while toddlers will just love the colors and the descriptions of each person’s favorite cookie and animal partners. The book encourages children to think of their favorite foods and what would happen if they suddenly went missing.

The book reads so well largely because author Frances Gilbert is a special educator. She has worked with young children for over 30 years. Her interest in emerging reading and language led her to a writing career. Gilbert is a strong believer in the reading experience as a vital precursor to literacy for young children; she writes to be read aloud. She says rhythm binds language, language binds emotion and emotion binds meaning. She smartly combines her written word with the artistic passions of the elementary teacher and illustrator, Ben Quesnel, to create a book that is totally accessible to young readers.

While the illustrations will sell themselves, consider selling The Cookie Thief with children cook sets (maybe a cookie apron or chef’s hat) or cookie cookbooks. Parents will love the idea of making the favorites listed in the book while reading.

For copies or information on how to sell The Cookie Thief in your stores, visit www.francesgilbert.com/books/v1/cookie_thief/