One Smart Cookie by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

One Smart Cookie: Bite-Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer. Harper, 2010. 32 pgs.

Reading Level: Picture Book
Recommended for: Ages 4-8

Similar to Rosenthal’s other “Cookies” books, One Smart Cookie defines character traits using the metaphor of making/eating/enjoying cookies and concludes with a recipe for…cookies, of course! A term in bold is defined or illustrated by a part of the cookie process, but the implications for the same character trait exercised in “real life” are clear. For example, “Compromise means she wanted to make really big cookies but he wanted to make teeny-tiny cookies, so they thought about it together and decided to make medium-sized cookies.” Delightful watercolor illustrations accent the text and feature children of different racial backgrounds as well as a number of anthropomorphic animals helping alongside. This picture book provides great material for discussion of true character in a very elementary-school-friendly way.

Cautions: mild language (“gosh” used one time)
Recommended Use: family read-aloud, curriculum tie-in, classroom discussion, back-to-school
Audience: educators, parents, children
Topical Categories: fiction, character values, education

Thanks to publisher for cover image