A gingerbread cookie is baked especially for Santa’s visit in this spin on “The Night before Christmas.” As he sits awaiting Santa’s arrival, the cookie has some concerns: “Later that evening, / When he’d be devoured / Would he be brave? / Or a crumbling coward?” Then two enthusiastic puppies burst into the room. The gingerbread boy attempts to divert the dogs’ attention to keep them from demolishing the tree and ornaments. The puppies’ antics keep the cookie’s mind off his troubles until the big man arrives. Bright illustrations will hold children’s attention as the gingerbread boy, reminiscent of Mr. Bill of Saturday Night Live fame, interacts with the dogs and with Santa Claus himself. Youngsters will anxiously listen to learn the cookie’s fate.

On Christmas Eve, a Gingerbread Boy anxiously awaits the arrival of Santa Claus and his own demise as a snack for the jolly old elf. “Later that evening/When he’d be devoured/Would he be brave?/Or a crumbling coward?” Two rowdy puppies soon tear him from his morbid thoughts; to stop them from making more of a mess with presents and the Christmas tree, the Gingerbread Boy distracts them by dancing until Santa arrives, then helps Santa clean up. Impressed, Santa hires him instead of eating him—and the puppies get a gift certificate to obedience school. The text, which uses the rhythm and rhyme scheme of Clement C. Moore’s iconic “The Night Before Christmas,” lollops along, and the spreads of a plucky, icing-daubed Gingerbread and those two gamboling puppies will be kid-pleasers.

“The Gingerbread Man” mixes it up with “The Night Before Christmas” in this cleverly constructed Christmas story about a smart cookie who avoids becoming Santa’s midnight snack. " ‘Twas the night before Christmas, / And there on a plate, / Was a Gingerbread Boy / Awaiting his fate." Using the rhyme scheme and meter of “The Night Before Christmas,” the story describes the Gingerbread Boy’s fear as he anticipates Santa’s arrival. As he nervously waits, two boisterous puppies burst into the room, knocking down decorations and ornaments. The Gingerbread Boy springs into action, distracting the dogs by spinning on a large ornament until Santa’s arrival. Santa and the cookie clean up the mess, and Santa rewards the Gingerbread Boy for his thoughtful help by asking him to come to the North Pole as his night watchman. The rhyming verses are pitch-perfect in their cadence, with snappy rhyming pairs and bouncy energy just like that of the overactive puppies. Bold illustrations with a variety of perspectives include lots of close-ups of the Gingerbread Boy, drawing readers into his dilemma. The supersized horizontal format and capacious, mostly double-page spreads make this a natural choice for reading to a large group, but it would also work well for a family on Christmas Eve. A successful mixture of two classic ingredients yields a sweet Christmas treat. (Picture book. 3-6)