The Smart Cookie is the fifth book (apparently) in the Food Group series; previous entries in the series consist of The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, The Cool Bean, and The Couch Potato. Being children’s books, the very, very cutesy titles are probably a selling point.
The Smart Cookie is about a cookie who isn’t good at anything; not school, not art, not sports, not sleeping in a jar with six dozen other cookies. So when her teacher, Ms. Biscotti suggests that each student does a presentation on what they’re best at, Cookie panics. Can she find something she’s good at, and will it be good enough? Being a kids’ book about positivity and acknowledging that everyone has different strengths, I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that of course she can, and yes it is.
The art is one of the main draws here; it’s cute, with all the characters drawn extremely detailed in a simplistic way. The fact that the illustrator drew Cookie losing sprinkles every time she’s nervous is an adorable addition.
And the edition I picked up also came with a poster of the title character. The art is maybe a little more simplistic than some of my favorites, but it’s still very enjoyable. Which is one of the great yet frustrating things about children’s books; the art is frequently fantastic, yet adults are frequently criticized for buying those books for themselves. Which I think is ridiculous; why should you give up your sense of wonder or your appreciation for the books of your youth (or any more recently published book that catches your eye), just because you’re now worrying about paychecks and grocery bills?
Tangent aside, this is a nicely illustrated book with a good message at it’s heart, and I would recommend it for anyone needing a gift for a child, or a quick pick-me-up for themselves.