Carrot and Cookie unexpectedly fill Santa's shoes in a grand adventureIt's Christmas Eve, and Carrot still doesn't have a present for bestie Cookie. Pickle points out that getting a gift should be "no big dill," but Carrot needs something "EXTRA special." Cookie's "also in a jam." What should Cookie get Carrot? Cupcake's idea-adding sprinkles to every problem-is "a little half-baked." Ultimately, neither Carrot nor Cookie gets anything for the other. Anxiety gets the best of them both. The pair eventually decide to "spill the beans" at their annual Christmas Eve sleepover. But their confessions are interrupted by a "Ho-ho-ho…achoo!" as a gingerbread Santa bursts onto the scene. Bad news: Santa is sick and going to have to cancel Christmas. Good news: Cookie and Carrot volunteer to save the day. They recruit various vegetables to replace the broken reindeer (including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Radish") and put Santa to bed. Can they get everything delivered in time? This follow-up toWhen Carrot Met Cookie (2021) is as wholesome as it is funny. The dialogue-driven story (with speech bubbles) asks readers to suspend disbelief and trust in "veggie power"-they'll willingly do so. Perl and Fenske's commitment to the punny, perishable world makes for some delectable details-even the moon is made of cheese!A sweet treat for the holiday shelves.(Picture book. 4-8)

Gr 1–3 —It's Christmas Eve, and best friends Carrot and Cookie don't have gifts for each other yet. Each one consults a friend: Carrot asks Pickle, who says, "It's no big dill," while Cookie asks Cupcake, whose ideas are a bit "half-baked." Carrot and Cookie gather for their annual sleepover and are about to tell each other the sad truth, when Santa lands his sleigh outside with a jolly "Ho-ho-ho&30;achoo!" They rush out to find Santa sneezing and, to their wide-eyed amazement, about to cancel Christmas. Carrot muses, "If reindeer can fly, why can't vegetables?" It turns out they can, and Carrot urges them on to pull Santa's sleigh: "On Eggplant! On Scallion! On Corn and Zucchini! On Lettuce! On Okra! And on Broccolini!" Christmas is saved. This pun-filled romp with delightfully goofy characters and charming illustrations will crack kids up with its silly humor. Sharp-eyed readers will also notice visual puns scattered throughout the book, such as googly-eyed candy canes serving as sleigh runners. The one unexplained oddity—why Santa and his reindeer appear to be made of gingerbread—is a minor flaw in an otherwise worthwhile story. VERDICT A warmhearted holiday story of an unexpected friendship, filled with silly puns and lots of laughs.—Haley Amendt