Strawberry and Gingerbread: Lost on Christmas Eve by KF Wheatie and KM Wheatie
Tis the season for Christmas-themed children’s books! If you’re looking to incorporate some holiday cheer into your kids’ bedtime stories, look no further than Strawberryhead and Gingerbread: Lost on Christmas Eve by KF Wheatie and KM Wheatie (Strawberryhead and Gingerbread Press). In this latest installment of the Strawberryhead and Gingerbread series, our two protagonists find themselves on a precarious, unplanned Christmas Eve adventure.
Walking In a Winter Wonderland
Welcome to S’moresville, the enchanted forest where Strawberryhead and Gingerbread live in their candy cottage-slash-treehouse. This time of year, it’s as if all of S’moresville is covered in powdered sugar — it’s shaping up to be a white Christmas!
The day before all the festivities, the two siblings are busy wrapping presents when they hear a knock on the door. It’s their friends Deepak, Keoki and Joshua, all decked out in snow gear! Strawberryhead and Gingerbread head out with their friends and spend all day building snow forts, making snow angels and having a snowball fight. But when the group heads out into the forest for a scenic walk, they lose track of time and find themselves lost in an evening snow squall — and even worse, Strawberryhead and Gingerbread get separated from the others in the storm!
Without any idea where to go, the siblings decide to stay where they are and find shelter. In order to keep calm, the two decide to pray that rescue comes for them. And sure enough, rescue comes in an unusual form. Once Deepak, Keoki and Joshua get to safety, they inform the authorities of their still-missing friends. The police set out with a tracking dog and hear a strange sound — almost like a bleating. It turns out that a herd of reindeer gathered around Strawberryhead and Gingerbread, keeping them warm and safe. And if young readers look closely enough, they may find that one of those reindeer has a red nose!
Having Faith & Giving Back
The holidays are a time of celebration — not only of the food and gifts and decorations of Christmas, but of the original meaning of the day itself. Strawberryhead and Gingerbread: Lost on Christmas Eve reminds kids that Christmas isn’t just about consumerism, but has a higher meaning — higher even than Santa’s sleigh.
And remember those presents Strawberryhead and Gingerbread were wrapping for their friends? They awake on Christmas morning to even more gifts, just for them! But rather than opening their new gifts, the two siblings decide to bring them to the local church shelter’s gift drive and give them to those in need. There, Strawberryhead and Gingerbread distribute their gifts, and have an amazing Christmas celebration with Deepak, Keoki, Joshua and the other kids from the shelter, complete with a nativity play.
Real-life siblings KF and KM Wheatie bring a sincere, heartfelt narrative voice to their story of holiday cheer. Through their words, kids will be reminded to have thankfulness not only for the more material aspects of the holiday, but of the gifts that can’t be bought. The book ends with an excerpt from the Gospel of Luke, reminding us all of the reason for the season — “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
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KF Wheatie, nicknamed Strawberryhead, was diagnosed with autism as a child. KF has a strong faith and works hard in school. She is currently a senior in college studying fine arts and music. KF makes it her mission to make new friends as often as possible. She plays the flute in a church band and is also a classically trained professional harpist. Her hobbies include art, Broadway and travel.
KM Wheatie is nicknamed Gingerbread. Because he looked like a cookie to his mother when he was little, she always pretended to take a bite out of him. His sister KF was sure that her brother would grow back after their mother took a bite out of him. Diagnosed with autism at a very young age, KM preferred to play alone as a child. It was not that he did not want to interact with other kids; he did not have the social skills necessary to play with them. He turned his love of map reading into a serious hobby. He is now a senior in college studying environmental science/geographic information science. His hobbies include riding rollercoasters, travel and hiking.
KF and KM Wheatie were raised by their mother, who is a staunch advocate for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She instilled in them their faith and belief that all their struggles, loneliness and hardships were adventures leading to a path of success. They believe in accessibility and inclusivity for all people. They also enjoy spending time with their English black Labrador, Solomon.
