School Library Journal Review
| PreS-Gr 2-A picture-book adaptation of the familiar childhood game featuring animal characters. Wolff's distinctive watercolor-and-pen art brings the lively chant to life. The title page shows Skunk taking cookies out of an oven, but by the first page of the story, the cookie jar is empty. Accompanied by Lizard, he ventures out into a desert landscape accusing, in turn, a number of animals of taking his baked goods. Each illustration provides a visual clue to which creature Skunk will approach next. A feather on the ground leads to Raven, and so on. The authors expand on the game by allowing each animal to respond with an alibi of sorts. For example, Beaver replies, "Who, me?/Couldn't be!/My favorite snack/Is sticks in a stack." Children will enjoy the challenge of solving the mystery and astute observers will notice the clues provided on the front cover and title page. In the happy ending, the culprit Ants invite all of the animals to share Skunk's cookies, and the baker himself doesn't seem to mind. This book includes instructions to play the circle game, and the music and guitar chords necessary to sing the song. Fun for storytimes and for one-on-one sharing.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Ages 3^-5. A children's rhyme is given visual expression in this colorful picture book. "Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?" is the repeated question, which is followed by protests from various animals being accused of cookie theft. Ashley Wolff sets the illustrations in the American Southwest; a skunk, dressed western style, with a bandana, a vest, and a cowboy hat, plays detective, searching for clues and asking about the cookies. The artwork is bright and cheerful, ending with a double-page spread of all the animals (and the guilty ants) munching cookies in the moonlight. Directions for playing a game based on the rhyme, plus music for the rhyme, preface the story. --Todd Morning |
