The Little Bitty Bakery

Publishers Weekly

After a long day at her French bakery, an elephant retires to her upstairs bedroom. "But as she hung her apron,/ her heart began to ache:/ ‘I've worked away my special day./ I've had no birthday cake!' " While she sleeps, mice scurry about the kitchen to rectify that situation. Awakening to sweet (but mysterious) smells, the elephant "tiptoed down the staircase,/ as quiet as a cat—/ clutched a day-old stick of bread/ just like a baseball bat." With a slapstick flourish, she slips on a butter pat and slides across the bakery floor, landing in front of her candle-topped birthday surprise and its wee bakers. Given the story's nighttime setting, the art by Caldecott Honor artist Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo and its sequels) is dominated by shadowy blues and grays, her characteristically fluid paintings lending the story moments of both comedy and light suspense. Muir's (Barry B. Wary) cheerful verse is sprinkled with asterisked French words (translated at the bottom of the page) and evocative references to food, which should pique the interest of future Julia Childs and Jacques Pépins. Ages 2–5. (Aug.)

Children's Literature - Dawna Lisa Buchanan

The pastry chef is exhausted after a busy day in her kitchen, and after tidying the shop, she climbs wearily up to her bed. On her way, however, she remembers that it is her birthday, and indulges in a moment of sadness that she has not had a birthday cake. Back in the kitchen, a little mouse initiates a baking spree with other mice, and before long, the sweet aroma of a delicious "crumble jumble cake" wakes the chef. Dashing down the stairs with a day-old stick of bread, ready to defend her kingdom, our chef is pleasantly surprised with the cake, and invites the mice to join her. Lewin's inventive, cartoon drawings present the elephantine chef and the tiny mice with humor and style, and the charming use of French words (with tiny explanations at the bottom side) enhance the text. Readers will learn about eclairs, amis, sorbet and creme brule. The back page includes a recipe for the cake, a "Moonlight Frosting", and suggestions for "Jumble Crumbles." This would make a lovely gift, and will be a favorite for read alouds in the home or classroom. Reviewer: Dawna Lisa Buchanan

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2—Elephant, a pastry chef, has been busy baking all day long. Too late and too tired to celebrate her birthday, she climbs into bed exhausted. But downstairs in the kitchen things are heating up. Suddenly a bunch of mice arrives on the scene and hatches a plan to make a luscious treat. They gather ingredients, measure and mix, and soon place their heartfelt creation into the oven. Elephant wakes up and startles the mice, who surprise her with a Crumble Jumble cake, which they proceed to enjoy and nibble on until morning. This delightful read-aloud, with its enticing cover featuring an array of sparkling baked goods, works well on many levels. Muir's sweet, engaging story is sprinkled with French words throughout, and Lewin's charming cartoon art, in nighttime shades of blue and purple, uses thick and thin brush lines to capture the action. Appended recipes are the icing on the cake.—Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH