The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher

by Robert Kraus, Virgil Franklin Partch (Illustrator)

The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher steals all the sprinkles in a Swiss Alpine village and on Christmas Eve the villagers become frantic

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Robert Kraus was an American children's author, cartoonist and publisher. Founder and publisher of Windmill Books, author and illustrator of award-winning children's books, Kraus began as a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...]

Reviews

[Christy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite Christmas books when I was a kid. The illustrations are so fun! I used to get lost in all the details. It’s a great book that teaches the importance of giving and not being focused on getting.

[M— · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA Apr 2010: August, HA! Amazon delivered my copies this weekend! (Yes, plural. One for me, and one for my mother, and one for....)

ETA Mar 2010: This book is coming back into print! Amazon has it listed as available for pre-order, scheduled to be released in August 2010. Say it with me now: Yaaaaaay!

Original Review
When I was very little, this was one of my favorite books. The cover has been loved completely off of my copy, and every page has crayon scribbles (although I don't recall if it was me that made them /sideways glance at younger brother). I've tried to find another copy in better condition, but it's been out of print for the better part of twenty years and the prices of used copies are astronomical. Pity! It should come back!

[Melanie Coombes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book while reading a book blog. This is such a fun book to read. Quite a bit of the story is in rhyme. The illustrations are awesome. Looks like the illustrator did looks of work for Disney and the book shows off his illustrations.

The book is about all the children and parents in this village who fall asleep and when they awake, all the mothers are getting ready to bake their Christmas cookies. But while they were sleeping the Sprinkle snitcher stole all the sprinkles. One little boy named Nate decides it is up to him to track down this snitch and find all the sprinkles. Because after all, what kind of Christmas cookie is one without sprinkles?

I can't believe I had never read this book before. My five year old and I loved it and I will read it every year and hope to share it with other children while substitute teaching for the holidays. Young and old will enjoy this book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my FAVORITE Christmas book when I was younger. The copy I had was so tattered and worn and falling apart I was thrilled while browsing Amazon a couple weeks ago to find it had been re-released. I was so excited when a new hard bound copy came in the mail last week.

The story has similarities to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and makes a great read aloud. At my children's elementary school the teachers ask parents to come in to read a Christmas Story and I chose this one. Paired with a plate of sprinkle covered Christmas Cookies it was a big hit.

I still love the illustrations and the rhyming text. A definite Christmas classic that has withstood the test of time.

[Kristen Silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book was out-of-print until this year, but now that it is no longer the rare and extremely expensive book it once was, I urge everybody out there to go buy a copy of this book. My two 1969 paperback copies are probably not worth much now that it's been reprinted, but I don't care. It's more important to me that this book is accessible to all! Buy it for your children or for yourself. It has delightful illustrations and a fun story that enchanted me as a child. It is definitely one of my favorite children's books of all time, and I am a collector of children's books from all eras!

[Julie Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books I loved to read to my 3 kids the very most. It is a very entertaining Christmas story involving a town that had been robbed of all of it's Christmas cookie "sprinkles"...right before the holidays no less :-(. I think it is very hard to put your hands on a copy at this point...but if anyone ever sees one...I would love to have it!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful romp! Charming tale extolling the virtues of cookie sprinkles (as important, Kraus notes, as a raisin's wrinkles or a sleigh bell's tinkles.) The story is similar to Seuss's Grinch, a youngster befriends the town outcast who ends up saving Christmas. Fun illustrations, reminiscent of Bil Keane's Family Circle comic strip.

[Sherrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very favorite book ever! I have an original hardbound copy that I got when I was little. I read it to all the kids every year at Christmas.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read to young children at this time of year. My grandson loved it. I'm sure we will be reading it again and again!

[Peggy Hess Greenawalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable Christmas story all in rhyming and with a great message to spread sprinks to the needy. Loved using it every year with my 5 year olds...so glad it has come back in print.

[Cassie Kabrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely one of the best christmas books ever!

[Gena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid and Ia m lucky enough to still have my original copy. It is now a favorite with my kids too.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books now and from my childhood! I still have my own copy.

[Janene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially felt like a "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" copy-cat, but it came to have it's own unique storyline and charm. The Sprinkle Snitcher is a weird looking bird, apparently for no good reason, and it's not like any deep or meaningful things are taught in the story, but it is quirky, with clever rhyme and engaging illustrations if you need something like that in your Christmas book mash-up. (We sure did!)

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations and it is fun, but why does it have to have a moral? Can't this Sprinkle Snitcher just get caught and/or the sprinkles stolen back and we don't have to learn a lesson about greediness? Mostly because the story says he wasn't doing it out of greed or spite, it's just his way (like Monsters who eat Sheep - it is just their way).

[Joey Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that has been read to me all my life. I was so happy when it came back out again to be published. I was sure to pick one up for myself as well as my school’s library. This is a wonderful book for any child! It also has a very good lesson!

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the niggling feeling that this should say Snatcher and not Snitcher, I really enjoyed this cute Christmas classic, written by the author of "Leo the Late Bloomer". The cascade of sprinkles falling from the sky is especially riveting and magnetic.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister and I love this book as kids. We drove my mother nuts asking her to read it to us over and over again. Just a fun book

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the kids' favorites. Similar to "the Grinch" storyline, but with cookie sprinkles trailing across the pages.

[Buddy Eades · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family favorite

[Dirk Dragonbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really good

[Tonya Fridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable and lots of fun reading.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a like/hate relationship with this book - the idea is fun, the writing is creative and flows well, but the way the Snitcher is illustrated is bizarre and for me, takes away from the whole story. But all my children have loved this book through the years.

[Sara Tiede · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite! I loved reading this at Christmas when I was little, and it's still fun to read to my kids as an adult. The rhyme is simple and easy to read, but the full page illustrations really make the experience. There's so much detail and character in every one! I loved following the sprinkle trail from page to page, like a Bill Keene comic for Christmas cookies! This will continue to be a perennial classic in our house for many years.

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed that I have never reviewed this book. It has been an annual tradition in my elementary school library to read this book to my students every year. The illustrations are completely engaging and the story is silly good fun.

[babyhippoface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a thief who steals only the sprinkles off of all the Christmas cookies. Stealing all the sprinkles? Dastardly! What's a Christmas cookie without sprinkles? Why, it's Christmas without the joy!

This didn't live up to the expectations I had built up after reading reviews, but is still fun and I think kids will like it. Everybody knows, there's just something special about sprinkles!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever so much fun. My sister got it for my niece and they brought it over so that I could see it tonight. It's a reprint of a '69 title. I LOVE the illustrations. Most (not quite all, though) of the rhymes work very well.

Sort of like the Grinch the Snitch learns his lesson. It is better to give and share than take.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful rhyming book with tongue twisting words and mesmerizing illustrations. Not sure why the author chose to have the sprinkle snitcher be part bird and part human, or if he is just a man in a bird suit that can fly. But it cracked me and my kids up. A silly slew of holiday cookie craziness.

[Dotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was working as a page at Schlow Library. I loved it then and wanted a copy to read to my kids. Unfortunately by the time we had kids, the book was out-of-print. I later found a used copy.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seems pretty popular but it just seemed weird to me. This year was the first time I'd heard of it. I came across it randomly looking for highly reviewed Christmas books on Amazon for 4-10 year olds.