~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY MULTI-CULTURAL
& S.T.E.A.M. CHRISTMAS
BOOK FEATURE ~
& S.T.E.A.M. CHRISTMAS
BOOK FEATURE ~
-- 'A WORLD OF COOKIES FOR SANTA' --
AUTHOR M. E. FURMAN
ILLUSTRATOR SUSAN GAL
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight & Review~
ABOUT THE BOOK: {from Goodreads}
A World of Cookies for Santa takes readers across the globe to see all the treats that await Santa on Christmas Eve.
Head to the Philippines, where children leave out puto seko cookies and ginger tea for Santa; jet to Russia for a honey-spice cookie; then set out for Malawi for a sweet potato cookie! When you've returned home, the journey's still not over—M. E. Furman provides recipes for children to bake some of Santa's cookies for themselves.
A World of Cookies for Santa is a multicultural celebration that families will return to year after year.
MY THOUGHTS:
This book seems perfect for a family read-aloud during the holidays! It contains excellent cultural information about Christmas customs and traditions in thirty different countries from around the globe plus Alaska and Hawaii.
The journey begins on Christmas Island--Kiritimati--and finishes up in Hawaii. There is a color world map on the inside front cover pages which shows the route Santa takes in his journey around the world on Christmas Eve. The blurb about each country includes information about what the country calls Santa Claus, a bit about the country, and what treat the children there like to leave for Santa's visit to their home.
The art work in this book is exceptional! The children, Santas, and scenery depicted for each country/state are realistic and true to the diversity we are fortunate to have in our world. I enjoyed looking through the illustrator's renderings to see many images which are historic icons of the various Christmas customs of particular countries included in the book. For instance, in the illustration about Germany you will find a nutcracker and a Christmas tree. On the Mexico page there is a colorful pinata. The Bethlehem page features a drawing of Joseph walking next to the donkey on which Mary is riding as they search for a place to stay for the night.
I think this would be a great 'I Spy' book for children, middle-graders, and even tweens as they search for various symbols of the holiday season. The back matter includes an Author's Note with some additional details not included in the main text. The author graciously shares nine cookie recipes for families to make for Santa's visit on Christmas Eve! Baking is an excellent culminating activity for this fine book.
Finally, the back cover facing pages feature another copy of the world map mentioned above, except this time each country/state is coded with a number that matches an illustration of one of the cookies surrounding the map. Fun for everyone in the family!
Note: Several of the countries leave an alcoholic beverage for Santa to drink with his cookies while he is on his long journey. For instance, in Australia they leave him a glass of beer and in Great Britain they leave him a glass of sherry. I always left Santa a glass of milk and some homemade chocolate chip cookies when I was a child . . . 😇
This book is highly recommended for everyone who loves Santa and is interested in learning about Christmas customs around the world!
I borrowed this book from the non-fiction collection in the Children's section of the local public library.
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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.
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YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO A '12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' EVENT PRESENTED BY THE READERS & WRITERS OF CLEAN FICTION FACEBOOK GROUP.
YOU'LL NEED TO PLAN AHEAD TO ATTEND BECAUSE YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE CLOSED GROUP TO PARTICIPATE. HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PAGE SO YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO THE MODERATOR'S THREE QUESTIONS AND BE APPROVED AHEAD OF TIME. LINK TO READER & WRITERS OF CLEAN YOUTH FICTION FACEBOOK GROUP
🌲🌲🌲🌲📕📗📘📙📚 ~ I WILL BE THE FEATURED AUTHOR ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE EVENT, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13TH! PLEASE JOIN ME FOR SOME FUN ACTIVITIES AND SEVERAL AWESOME MIDDLE-GRADE & YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK PRIZES! I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. BEST WISHES, JUNE ~🌲🌲🌲🌲📕📗📘📙📚
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SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL BLOG READERS: I HAVE SEVERAL GREAT GIVEAWAYS LISTED ON MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS PAGE HERE ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC' WHICH WILL BE ENDING SOON. TAKE A MOMENT RIGHT NOW TO CLICK OVER THERE TO POSSIBLY DISCOVER A PRIZE THERE THAT INTERESTS YOU. HERE'S THE LINK: CURRENT GIVEAWAYS
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I just saw this book on Amazon. I love how they share holiday baking/food traditions from around the world. Beautiful book!
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Patricia ~ The premise of this book is so appealing to me, and I think readers of all ages will enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Best wishes, June
DeleteOoh! Cookies! Definitely going to check it out!
ReplyDeleteHi, Andrea ~ I know--cookies--what a great hook! :0} The recipes did look delicious and most were for treats I've never seen in cookbooks or magazines before. Thanks for stopping by today. Sincerely, June
DeleteI never knew Santa got anything but milk. Thanks for telling us about this wonderful sounding holiday book. It's making me hungry!
ReplyDeleteHi, Greg ~ Wait until you see the artwork of all of the Christmas treats--then you'll really be hungry! :0} You're welcome for the post about this book; it really is a gem. Take care, and thanks a lot for stopping by for MMGM today. Best, June
DeleteMy daughter would have loved the recipes in this book when she was younger. Sounds like a great read to learn about new traditions.
ReplyDeleteHello, Natalie ~ I loved to bake and cook when I was a middle-grader, too. Maybe this would be a good Christmas gift from Santa for your daughter to find under the tree this year! I enjoy reading about customs and traditions from other places around the world, too. Thanks for stopping by for MMGM! Best wishes, June
DeleteThis is really a clever idea for a kids book. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteHey there, Rosi ~ I hope you have a chance to read this book soon. It is clever, and the recipes look delicious, too. Thanks for stopping by for MMGM. Best, June
DeleteI love the international theme of this one. And it has recipes! Great fun.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear from you, Lee! I'm glad you liked this book. I hope you get a chance to read it soon and maybe bake up some new treats for Santa this year. Thanks for stopping by my blog to share some positivity with us. Best wishes, June
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