I had high hopes for The Cookie Maker of Mavin Road by Sue Lawson (2020) because it was published by Candlewick Press; however, it’s a simple story that sounds vaguely familiar. It reminds me of A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip and Erin Stead.
The main character in both stories is a kindly old man. Amos McGee works at a zoo; he gives special attention to the animals. In The Cookie Maker, Benedict Stanley bakes cookies for his neighbors. Amos McGee and Benedict Stanley both become ill. When their absences are noticed, their kindness is returned. When “an aching and snuffling Benedict Stanley shuffles to bed… There are no bike cookies after a ride without training wheels. And no ambulance short bread with cherry lights after a tumble from a roof.” The other neighbors speculate about why free cookies no longer appear. When they realize it is Benedict Stanley, they come together to care for him and his home.
What sets this book apart from A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the implication that the neighbors did not interact with one another prior to the appearance of cookies. Benedict Stanley changed the culture of the neighborhood. The illustration styles are dramatically different. Liz Anelli’s illustrations are a bit dark, but fun in the style of contemporary illustration.
