The Book Cook is the debut children’s book from author D.C. Swanson and illustrator Clint Hansen. Published by Baobab Press, The Book Cook is a holiday picture book for readers aged 5-10 with stunning illustrations created in Clint Hansen’s unique scratchboard style.

The story: When 11-year-old twins Maria and Matty realize they forgot to buy a Christmas gift for their mother, they set out on a snowy Christmas Eve for some last-minute shopping. They discover the mysterious store of the Book Cook, who takes literary ingredients and mixes them together in a giant cauldron to make stories come to life. The twins begin creating a story of their own, but when they accidentally knock over shelves of ingredients into the cauldron, their story takes some very strange twists. In the end, the children learn that even when a story doesn’t go perfectly to plan, it can still make a perfect gift.