Dick and Jane: A Christmas Story

by William S. Gray (Illustrator)

Share the holidays with Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, and Puff. This charming oversized picture book features Dick, Jane, and Sally and Spot and Puff, too! The holidays are a time for family and togetherness, and what better way to spend your holiday than with Dick and Jane?

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2004

Reviews

[Jessaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable book, but the colored drawings are what is best about this book, not that the story isn't sweet.

Dick and Jane are looking out the window and see that it is snowing. Their parents are sitting by the fire reading. Dad has the newspaper and Mom a magazine. The kids want to go out and play, even their cocker spaniel, Spot, wants to follow. They put on their coats and go outside to ice skate on the lake.

It is cold so Sally goes inside to help her mother bake cookies while Dick pulls Jane and Spot on a toboggan.

Next, Sally goes back outside and begins making snowballs while Dick is busy making a snowman.

Then they go back inside to eat cookies, just like I am doing now, only instead of gingerbread cookies, I am eating a similar cookies called Lebkuchen that a friend made me for Christmas.


These cookies should be made 3 weeks before Christmas, but who really cares?

Lebkuchen (Grandma Anderson’s Version)

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. shortening or butter
2 eggs

Mix together and add:

1/2 c. molasses
1 t. soda
2 t. anise seed
2 t. baking powder
Fine grated peel of 1 orange and 1 lemon. (save a little lemon and orange rind for frosting) 1 t. vanilla
1 t. ginger
1 t. salt

Mix together and add about 4 c. flour, just enough to make it the consistency of pie crust.

Grab a large piece and pat out with hands to ¼ inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Do same with remaining dough. While still warm ice with powdered sugar mixed with lemon, water and lemon and orange rind. Makes 40 large cookies. Keep in a tin for two weeks minimum before eating.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be generous at three stars. I figured the “story” would be dull but I wanted to show the boys some of the type of books their grandparents read when they were young.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely book brought back so many memories of learning to read. The Dick and Jane series was very popular class room material in the early 1950's. In simple, repetitive sentences, these classic books were the building foundational block for kindergarten and first grade.

In this book we see Dick, Jane, Sally and their pets in the snow, making snowmen, sledding and having fun. When each child becomes too cold, they go in the house and make Christmas cookies.

All too soon there are lots of cookies, enough to distribute to the mailman, the traffic cop and the neighbors.

I bought this book to give as a gift to our neighbor girls who have great fun at our house when I read to them. We also bake a lot of cookies and distribute them to neighbors. It is a good way to reinforce sharing, and safely children interact with people who appreciate them and smile when they come to the door.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This works well for use in story time because of it's large size (easy to see the pictures)and it's simplicity. As a story performer you do NOT have to read the text exactly as it appears on the page. You can TELL the story (or "read" the pictures). On one of the pages there are pictured an entire table full of cookies. I invited the children to count the plates of cookies with me. They love doing this together. This collects the group to focusing together on the book.

My daughter received this book for Christmas a number of years ago and fondly recalls it was the first book she read all by herself.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dick and Jane have been loved and read for generations. And a little old-school Christmas tale with them is worth passing on and reading with the next generation, don't you think? I do.

Reading Level: 1st - 2nd grades

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[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about wonderful holiday traditions (e.g., spending time with family and giving gifts) with the traditional Dick and Jane illustrations. The text isn't fantastic, but my daughter LOVES this book (she asks for it and we read it to her at least three times a day), so I gave it 4 stars.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought back good memories. Loved the Dick and Jane books when I was a little girl. Large and fun illustrations. Dick, Jane, and Sally all take turns baking with Mother and playing out in the snow.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids read it to me, so I like it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

31 months - Mmmm cookies!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh - such memories from the Dick and Jane readers. Besides, there's Sally in this book!!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kids liked this book. I liked the pictures. It was a good book to read with the kids.

[Elena Galarza · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a beautiful book. How family was family rich or poor you were together!!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, and Puff have fun in the snow, and help Mother bake cookies that they share with neighbors and friends in the community.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book with the characters of first-grade readers! The message: "Sharing makes our holidays special."

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 2004. You’d think Dick and Jane would have matured some, but they are eternally children in a non-realistic world. It’s really kind of creepy.