Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

by Bonnie Lass, Philemon Sturges, Ashley Wolff (Illustrator)

Overview

The classic playground song where readers try to figure out who took the cookies — available in board book edition!

"Who took the cookies from the cookie jar? The jar was full! Where did they go? Mmm...Oh!...Now I know...Mouse took the cookies from the cookie jar!"
 
In this playful adaptation of the classic playground song set in the Southwest, readers will delight in helping to solve the mystery of the missing cookies as Skunk travels the desert and asks each of his animal friends, Mouse, Raven, Squirrel, Rabbit, Turtle, Raccoon, Beaver, and Frog: "Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?!"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759558014
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	22
Sales rank:	86,135
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Bonnie Lass is a children's textbook editor. She received her PhD in education from the University of Illinois.
 
Philemon Sturges [deceased] was the author of several award-winning books for children, including She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain and The Twelve Days of Christmas.
 
Ashley Wolff has illustrated many books for children including the bestselling Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten and its sequel, Miss Bindergarten and the 100th Day of Kindergarten.

Editorial Reviews

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 Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

The familiar children's playground chant, "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar," is broadened here into a picturebook mystery that's a delight to view, but less successful as a readaloud. When a skunk goes to the cookie jar to get cookies to go with his milk, all he finds are crumbs. In turn, he asks his friends mouse, raven, squirrel, rabbit, turtle, raccoon, snake, beaver, and frog if they have taken the treats. The individual denials and the connecting refrain, "Then who took the cookies? The jar was full! Where did they go? Mmm . . . Oh! . . . Now I know . . ." strain, and the added words throw off the easy rhythm of the original. But Wolff's (Each Living Thing, p. 56, etc.) whiteframed watercolor and penonpaper illustrations are bold and lively, expanding on the brief text. The setting is a desert expanse with cactus and wildflowers in bloom and a stream meandering through. Wolff introduces skunk on the title page as he holds a steaming tray of chocolate chip cookies, and a lizard accompanies skunk throughout his search, which lasts well past nightfall. They follow visual clues such as the trail of cookie crumbs and various footprints, the search culminating in a moonlit celebration. It won't take observant viewers too long, however, to guess the culprits, as a line of ants parades across the front left endpaper. They are pointing to a page where the game is explained, with suggested variations, and a melody and guitar chords are provided for singing the original song. (Picture book. 36)

Kirkus Reviews