"Swashbuckling gusto and a poignant finish should make this a new favorite." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
It’s Christmas Eve, and Jim and his mother have left pirate gingerbread men for Santa. Jim’s favorite is Captain Cookie, who carries a gingerbread cutlass and has a toothpick peg leg. Jim keeps him close by his bed. But late that night, when Jim is fast asleep, Captain Cookie step-taps away on a daring adventure to find his pirate crew and rescue them from that mysterious character he’s heard about: a cannibal named Santa Claus. This masterfully illustrated tale, sparkling with all the excitement of a pirate adventure, is a new holiday classic.
"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." —Kirkus Reviews
Kristin Kladstrup is also the author of the middle-grade novel The Book of Story Beginnings. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
Matt Tavares is the illustrator of Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport; Jack and the Beanstalk, retold by E. Nesbit; Iron Hans by Stephen Mitchell; Over the River and Through the Wood; and ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. He is also the author-illustrator of There Goes Ted Williams, Henry Aaron’s Dream, Oliver’s Game, Mudball, and Zachary’s Ball. He lives in Ogunquit, Maine.
"Swashbuckling gusto and a poignant finish should make this a new favorite." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
It’s Christmas Eve, and Jim and his mother have left pirate gingerbread men for Santa. Jim’s favorite is Captain Cookie, who carries a gingerbread cutlass and has a toothpick peg leg. Jim keeps him close by his bed. But late that night, when Jim is fast asleep, Captain Cookie step-taps away on a daring adventure to find his pirate crew and rescue them from that mysterious character he’s heard about: a cannibal named Santa Claus. This masterfully illustrated tale, sparkling with all the excitement of a pirate adventure, is a new holiday classic.
Praise
"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." —Kirkus Reviews
Author
Kristin Kladstrup is also the author of the middle-grade novel The Book of Story Beginnings. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
Matt Tavares is the illustrator of Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport; Jack and the Beanstalk, retold by E. Nesbit; Iron Hans by Stephen Mitchell; Over the River and Through the Wood; and ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. He is also the author-illustrator of There Goes Ted Williams, Henry Aaron’s Dream, Oliver’s Game, Mudball, and Zachary’s Ball. He lives in Ogunquit, Maine.
