New York City chef and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich - the host of a number of television cookery programs, and the author of several cookbooks - turns to the world of her childhood in this autobiographical holiday picture-book, which is dedicated to her five grandchildren. Those same grandchildren feature as characters in the story, providing an audience for Lidia, as she recounts the tale of the ways that she and her family marked the Christmas season, when she was a little girl in Istria (present day Croatia). Poor in material possessions, but rich in family love and warmth, Lidia's family would gather at her grandparents' home, decorating their tree with home-baked goodies - goodies that made their way into Lidia and her brother's tummies, as often as they made it to the tree! Inspired by their Nonni's story, Lidia's five grandchildren decide to decorate their own tree in a similar way...

Despite the fact that I am not one of Lidia Bastianich's fans - I'd actually never heard of her, before picking up this book this past weekend, from my public library's Christmas display - I greatly enjoyed this foray into her family history. Her tale really emphasizes the importance of passing on traditions, from one generation to the next. As someone whose last great-grandparent died when she was seven - my paternal grandmother's mother, whom I had met once - I appreciated this depiction of a family in which four generations interact. The sixteen recipes at the back, for various cookies, are a nice touch, although children themselves will probably find them far too complex, and need the help of adults. I can't say that the illustrations, done by Laura Logan, really appeal to me - they're just a little too cute - but otherwise, I found this an engaging holiday picture-book. ( )