Book Review of A Box of Treats by Kevin Henkes
Boxed Set of Five Great Holiday Picture Books
Feb 14, 2009
Parents looking for fun holiday picture books for young readers need look no further than the stories collected in Kevin Henkes's A Box of Treats. Each of the five hardcover stories included in this box set describes an experience one of Henkes's well-loved mice characters has with a different holiday treat. Babies will enjoy the brightly colored, simple illustrations that set characters and a few essential props against plain white backgrounds. Toddlers and older children will love the humorous plots, which revolve around familiar themes such as will power, patience, fairness, love, and cleverness.
The books are designed to appeal to young children. They are sized for small hands (each book is less than six-inches square) and bound with pastel-colored covers with striped spine borders that make each book seem like a sweet treat itself. If purchased individually, these books would make ideal Christmas stocking stuffers, Halloween party favors, Easter basket gifts, Fourth of July party favors, or St. Valentine's Day presents.
Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick
Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick [HarperFestival, 2001] tells what happens when two sisters both want one Christmas peppermint stick. Readers familiar with Sheila Rae and her little sister Louise from Henkes's Sheila Rae the Brave [HarperCollins, 1996] will especially enjoy reading how Sheila Rae and Louise deal with another sibling conflict successfully with love and humor.
Julius's Candy Corn
Julius's Candy Corn [HarperFestival, 2003] narrates how Julius (the baby from Henkes's Julius, the Baby of the World [HarperCollins, 1995], now grown old enough to star in a book of his own) gets around his mother's decree that the Halloween cupcakes cannot be eaten before the Halloween party. Children will enjoy hearing Julius's sneaky solution—he "counts" and eats the candy decorations on top of each cupcake, not the cupcakes themselves—while parents can use the book as a springboard into a discussion about following the letter, rather than the spirit, of a law.
Owen's Marshmallow Chick
Owen's Marshmallow Chick [HarperFestival, 2003] brings back Owen and his cherished fuzzy yellow blanket from Henkes's Caldecott Honor Book Owen [HarperCollins, 1993] for another tale of attachment to a physical object. This time, Owen falls in love with a marshmallow chick from his Easter basket because it reminds him of his precious blanket. Children will be charmed by how Owen plays with his new toy and may also enjoy thinking and talking about their own attachments to special things.
Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star
Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star [HarperFestival, 2003] shows the anxious heroine from Henkes's Wemberly Worried [HarperCollins, 2000] worrying about a new crisis but demonstrating great problem-solving skills by devising and carrying out a bright solution. Wemberly's empathy to her doll's needs, the cleverness of her solution to the problem of how to share her Fourth of July ice-cream treat with Petal, and the patience with which she executes her solution all make her a fine role model for children.
Lilly's Chocolate Heart
Lilly's Chocolate Heart [HarperFestival, 2004] stars one of Henkes's most wildly popular heroines—Lilly, from such other books as Chester's Way [HarperCollins, 1988]; Julius, the Baby of the World; Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse [HarperCollins, 1996]; and Lilly's Big Day [HarperCollins, 2006]. In this tale, Lilly searches high and low for a place to save her last Valentine's Day treat before deciding that the best place of all to keep it is very close at hand—her mouth!
These holiday picture books are available for purchase separately as board books or as small hardcover versions in the boxed set. Parents and Kindergarten and elementary teachers can also use the books from A Box of Treats to teach math, science, and language arts lessons.
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