Synopsis
IN THIS DELICIOUS tale, a baker hangs out his shingle on a small street, and soon, the line for his doughnuts stretches down the block. But it’s not long before the competition arrives and a battle of the bakers ensues. In the competitive frenzy, both bakers’ doughnuts become “quite bizarre, like Cherry-Frosted Lemon Bar, and Peanut-Brickle Buttermilk, or Gooey Coca- Mocha Silk!” Some are not even very tasty: “Donuts made with huckleberry (don’t be scared, they’re kind of hairy).” One day, Debbie Sue, just barely two, enters the bakery, and searches in vain for her favorite doughnut, where “the choice of donuts left her dazed. Said Debbie Sue, “But I want . . . glazed.” A fun lesson in keeping it simple in which our hero chef decides to go back to the basics, and wins over the whole town.
Publishers Weekly
Rival donut chefs compete for customers by concocting ever more exotic offerings in this eye-catching title from the creator of The Red Lemon. Geometric art in spun-sugar-smooth colors produces a vintage feel; relayed in jubilant rhymed couplets, the story, too, pays tribute to simple pleasures. As each chef innovates, his goods become less and less appealing: "We've donuts laced with kiwi jam,/ and served inside an open clam!/ Donuts made with huckleberry/ (Don't be scared; they're kind of hairy)." Only a girl's request for a glazed donut stops the insanity. The real fun here lies in the visuals: the rotund chef, winking with a semicircular eyebrow and smiling his half-moon-shaped smile; bakery displays of impossibly gorgeous goods; fantastically tall or wide passersby. Everywhere readers look, there are delectable surprises. Ages 3-5. (Oct.)
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