Cole and the Giant Gingerbread House is a children’s picture book by author Riya Aarini. It tells the story of two homeless children who go out looking for food/money when their parents are too sick to go. After a good deed by one of the children they meet Father Christmas who gives them a tiny gingerbread house and tells them to plant it in a secluded place. But what will happen to it?

The book is very sweet and beautifully illustrated with full-page festive scenes. I like the idea behind the plot but I’m not sure the message comes across as strongly as it could have.

Whilst I love the illustrations the children don’t look homeless, they have decent clothes on, shoes, coats, scarves. They are clean, their hair brushed. They don’t look cold or undernourished. I understand not everyone looks like they are homeless, but I feel visually this is important in children’s books when you are trying to get the message about homelessness through to them.

I love that a good deed by one of the children doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by Santa, and he rewards them in the best way he can, with magic. I think the magical element is touching and beautiful, although I would have preferred the book to last a little longer so that children get to read and see more about it.

Cole and the Giant Gingerbread House is a lovely festive story. It is quite a simple read that doesn’t delve too deep into any of the themes. It has no hard words, and with short paragraphs, new readers will be able to read this alone. Also, there is an Elf lurking on each page for children to find.