Looking for a festive activity to try with kids at home? The female-founded, Chicago-based baking kit service, BāKIT Box, has partnered with a local award-winning children’s author Vicky Weber to whip up a real treat this holiday season – a limited edition gingersnap cookie box.
This seasonal box is inspired by Weber’s tenth picture book – “Gingersnap Snatcher” – which released on Dec. 7. This laugh-out-loud rhyming story tells the tale of Abuela’s missing cookies, and the children’s quest to use cookie crumb clues to find out who stole the cookies.
Weber, a former elementary school music teacher, hid vocal exploration opportunities in the illustrations and included a bonus song based on the title.
“I think that kids will be captivated and love how playful the story is,” says Weber, who came up with the idea for Gingersnap Snatcher while reflecting on her favorite holiday tradition. “I want readers to embrace the fun and lightheartedness of the holidays.”
Weber partnered with BāKIT Box to bring this story to life, working together to curate this box containing both a signed copy of the book and all of the ingredients for kids to make the recipe at home with their families.
BāKIT Box co-founders Shelley Gupta and Carla Medina-Jacobson work to demystify both classic American recipes as well as culturally diverse recipes that reflect their respective Puerto Rican/Mexican and Indian upbringings. Weber writes children’s books that are often based on her proud Puerto Rican heritage, making this partnership one-of-a-kind.
“One of our missions at BāKIT Box is to make baking more accessible as a family activity,” says Gupta. “Through this partnership, we’re proud to continue elevating the voices and creativity of minority women in baking and writing.”
Gupta says these spicy cookies are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea, coffee or milk. Kids will love doing some of the hands-on tasks to get their cookies to come together like cracking the egg, mixing — and of course — taste testing.
Weber says this is the perfect holiday gift for both parents and kids, as it provides them with a way to directly interact with the book through a beloved holiday tradition.
“So many people are looking to give experiences instead of gifts this holiday season, and this box is the best of both worlds,” says Weber. “Yes, you get a book, but you also get to make the cookies and enjoy the story together. Just be careful about stealing the cookies from each other.”
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