We’ve reached the point in the year when I start reading picture books in earnest – because the holidays are coming! It feels ridiculous to type that sentence in AUGUST of all months, when school hasn’t even started up again yet, but it’s true. By the time December rolls around, the gifts must already be selected and ordered so that they arrive on time. I’m happy to report that Blanca Gómez's new picture book Bookie & Cookie is a strong contender to gift to the young ones in your life, or to check out from your local library. After all, it combines two of the best simple pleasures in life: books and baking cookies!
Even the best friendships have rough moments, but a true friend will always find a way to compromise (especially when cookies are involved!) – a scrumptious and clever read-aloud by the illustrator of Very Good Hats and Besos for Baby.
Bookie and Cookie are best friends. They love to spend time together, reading books and snacking on treats. But whenever this happens, it’s always at Cookie’s home . . . until the day when Bookie insists on getting together at his home instead. Cookie refuses: He doesn’t want to try something new. And now Bookie and Cookie are both alone, and the activities they used to enjoy together aren’t nearly as much fun. Can the two buddies each try something new for the sake of their friendship?
Bookie and Cookie are best friends, but they have an unconventional living situation. Bookie lives in the left-hand page of the book, and Cookie lives in the right-hand page. And when they hang out together, they are always in/on Cookie’s page. Bookie would like Cookie to come visit, but he refuses! He doesn’t like change. How will these best friends finally resolve their conflict? Page is synonymous with house in this delightfully-illustrated book about compromise and the power of friendship. It celebrates the delicious pairing of cookies and books while teaching gentle lessons about conflict-resolution, and the only thing that would make it more my speed is if it somehow worked in ice coffee as well, lol.
Gómez's text is the sort of metanarrative that is delightful to book lovers – the characters acknowledge the spatiality of the book! Vocabulary-wise, the text is simple and sparse enough for early readers, so the book will appeal in both the read-aloud era and into independent reading. It also has a few useful messages: that conflict hurts both parties, compromise is necessary to maintain meaningful friendships, and being afraid of change will keep you from a life full of adventures. Gómez conveys this message in fairly equal amounts of narration and dialogue between Bookie and Cookie. Parents and caregivers will laugh (or cry, depending on the day!) when reading the familiar interplay between the characters: “I don’t like what I don’t know.” “How can you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?” “I don’t know, but I know it’s true.” And of course, young children may see themselves reflected in some of the stubborn resistance to flexibility that Cookie displays. There are kinder emotions discussed as well, such as gifting cookies, reading together, and eventually adventuring outside the book.
The art is simple, with figures and furniture in a crayon box full of bright colors against a white background, which will appeal to the intended audience. Gómez's flat, rounded characters have nearly perfect circles for heads, distinctive hats, and a few straight lines indicating their hair. The geometric shapes and figures call to mind cut paper art, and the book’s delightful details (the book titles and cookie containers move around and correspond to what’s happening in the story) will invite commentary and rereads to check – are items changing and moving from one page to the next? These clever Easter eggs encourage interactivity and engagement.
In all, Bookie & Cookie is a brief and rainbow-bright picture book sure to delight book-loving adults and the young children they read to.
Recommended for: read alouds and independent reading, and anyone who appreciates a well-designed and artful picture book experience.
Bookie & Cookie will release from Rocky Pond Books (Penguin Random House) on September 3, 2024.
Fine print: I received a final copy of the text from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for this post.
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