The Welcome Cookies

By Kaye Baillie & Kirrili Lonergan

Reviewed by  Margarite Igras

Award winning children’s author Kaye Baillie is known in Australia and internationally for both her fiction and non-fiction works. Titles such as When the Waterhole Dries Up, Mizuto and the Wind, Cockatoo, Message in a Sock and the heartwarming Boo Loves Books. The Welcome Cookies was written for younger readers and is based on something Kaye’s daughter experienced. It is a story about coping with change and that the new can be as good as the old, perhaps even better.

Mabel and her mum loved their Friday visit to the Sugar Plum Café. There was so much to like, from the sound of the doorbell to the smarty-arty wall full of children’s drawings, and best of all, Miss Plum’s smile. But after returning from a holiday, she discovers her favourite café was being renovated and renamed by its new owner. With gentle encouragement from her mother, they eventually visit the newly opened Lionel’s cafe with all its different sounds and smells. Soon, Mabel has a great idea that will make Fridays, Lionel’s days.

The watercolour and ink illustrations have a gentle palette, but the detail on each page is worthy of scrutiny. I love the black cat that makes it appearance throughout the book and for those who decide to make the Welcome Cookies from the recipe provided, there are some cookie-decorating ideas on the back pages.

This is an uplifting and empowering story for 4- to 8-year-old and though there is a reasonable amount of text on each page, the heartfelt story and sensitive illustrations provide a lesson in having an open mind to life’s changes.

EK Books 2024 (with Teacher’s Notes)

Kaye Baillie

Kirrili Lonergan