The family bakery will be extremely busy on December 24th. Before dawn Sofie goes with her parents to help out. She fills pastry cases, bags orders, answers the phone and even waits on a few customers "out front" once the shop opens. This spunky brown-skinned girl enjoys a one-time stint in the busy bakery, especially when a girl from school is one of her customers. An appetite-whetting array of baked goods is pictured in Hamanaka's oil-on-canvas paintings reproduced in full color. The illustrations display bakery workers and customers from diverse backgrounds and enliven Heath's story about a child's foray within an adult world of work. Recipes for marzipan and cinnamon star cookies are included. (Ages 4-8)

In Sofie's family's bakery, Christmas Eve is the busiest day of the year. But as a mass of wool-wrapped shoppers come into the shop, Sofie is nervous about helping out behind the counter for the first time. In this tasty holiday story, Sofie conquers her stage fright, takes a step forward toward independence, and contributes to the family business in a very real way. Recipes are included.