Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love

by Julie Paschkis

In this lovely valentine of a book, Julie Paschkis offers young readers a glimpse of the extraordinary world that can be hidden in the simplest of things. Alfonso loves his colorful, magical existence. He also loves the brilliant, beautiful Ida. But Ida, nose in a book, just doesn’t seem to notice. Can he win her heart with a cake of his own creation if the salt is gathered from the deep blue ocean, the butter from the summer sun, and flour like snowflakes from a night sky? An exquisitely illustrated story about imagination for children, but also a wonderful gift for lovestruck adults. (A treasured family recipe for apple cake included!)

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Love, Food, Romance, Cooking, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

I was born in 1957 and grew up in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. I have a brother and two sisters. My parents encouraged us to make things, to read, to draw and to play outside.

I attended Germantown Friends School, Ringerike Folkehogskole in Norway, Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where I got a BFA. I have a teaching certificate from UW and I taught art to children for several years, mostly at the Bush School.

Since 1991 I have been painting and illustrating full time. I have had many shows of my paintings and of various other work (including cut paper, embroidery and bread). I illustrate books. I design fabric and make quilts. My work flows in many directions, but all of the ideas and creations are connected. The work I do in one area inspires the work in others. Ideas beget ideas.

I live in Seattle with my husband Joe Max Emminger. He is a painter.

I still like to make things, to read, draw and play outside.

Reviews

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and cake. I love this illustrator.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband surprised me with this simple but lovely picture book for Valentine's Day. Cooking is one of my passions in life, so I fell in love with the story of Alfonso, who woos (and wins over) Ida by baking her a special apple cake. While the story is sweet, the illustrations are what led me to give Apple Cake 5 stars. They are imaginative and whimsical (Alfonso uses a sword to dice the apples, for example), and the color palette is simply gorgeous.

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfonso would go to any length to capture the attention and the affections of Ida. Perhaps going to any height and any depth to secure the perfect ingredients for an apple cake will do the trick.

The book also has a recipe for apple cake from Julia's great-great-grandmother which I made in my kitchen this afternoon. The aromas were out of this world and the cake was delicious.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I see the point; I know some readers will love this. But it doesn't work for me. And the cake sounded like one I wanted to try until the recipe in the back informs us that it's very moist, almost a pudding. So, that doesn't work for me either.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I love: Julie Paschkis' color sense, the wonderful use of white space, an almost formal design, and line; the butter-from-the-sun and sugar-from-the-clouds and salt-from-the-sea epic nature of this cake; that Alfonso and Ida have markedly different skin tones; the wishes in the ingredients and that one wish was bitter. Things I'm not sure about: well, here's another romance in a picture book. My first thought is always that that theme isn't appropriate for a picture book, but then again, I'm the one who's always arguing that medium does not presuppose audience or genre. And there's a lot of romance in folk tales, and as romances go, this one is very understated.

[Abbey Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my choice for the 2013 Caldecott Medal because of the exquisite illustrations that tell a love story that can be admired by all ages. The story exudes a sense of magic about how far one will go to get the attention of the one they love. It's truly a distinguished picture book with a unique story-line that will take you on a visual experience. The last page of the book includes the recipe of the apple cake that Alfonzo made for Ida so the reader can share the magic that was created in the book in their own life as well.

[Sarah BT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful imaginative tale about Alfonso who really wants to get Ida's attention, yet her head is always stuck in a book. So he bakes her an apple cake, but it's not just any apple cake. It's a very special magical apple cake. This is where the illustrations really add to the story. The text is simple (he adds apples, sugar, flour, etc) but the illustrations tell you how he got each ingredient and lengths he will go to make sure Ida's cake is perfect. A charming tale!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baking is alot about loving, I think, whether its baking a cake for someone you love (even yourself) or baking WITH someone you love. Can't wait to take the adventure of baking this cake with my grandchildren - sifting flour from tower tops, getting butter from the sun and sugar from a cloud, a bit of salt from the ocean. Of course, some taste testing is necessary first - they aren't quite old enough - so the cake is baking right now.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, sweet story of one man's attempts to get the attention of a book-obsessed woman by baking her a cake. You might think that isn't a relevant subject for the picture book crowd, but the author/illustrator makes the protagonist's journey quite kid-friendly. Nice lesson for children about the effectiveness of kind acts. Stylized illustrations add fun to the book. Art is imaginative and whimsical. Apple cake recipe included on the back endpapers.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Paschkis has taken a story and a recipe of her great-grandmother’s to create a sweet love story of courtship by baking a cake. The pictures look as if they could be on a set of dishes, telling a story, and serving up food as well as love. It’s a very sweet book.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the colorful, whimsical illustrations, but I doubt very many children will be interested in the romance theme of the story.

[Kate Buechler]

Person always has nose in book so suitor decides to bake a cake to get their attention. 10/10 would work for me. Also, suitor mixes in three wishes, one bitter and two sweet. Wonderful.

[Syntha Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet

[Klaudia Janek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly Recommended [return][return]Ida is beautiful and brilliant and she loves to read! Nothing is more interesting than her books, not even Alfonso; who really likes Ida. He tries to woo her with flowers, guitar music and butterflies, but Ida ignores him. Alfonso decided to bake Ida a cake and went to great lengths to collect the apples, butter, sugar and eggs. He also stirred in three wishes, “one bitter and two sweet.” The delicious smell made Ida put down her book and notice Alfonso. The reader would assume that they fell in love.[return][return]The story is just really cute. Little ones will love the words, colors and pictures. I like that the girl loves to read! The art work reminds me of Eastern European folk art. It’s clean, colorful and pretty. The artwork is seemingly simple along with the simple message of love. It would make for a perfect pre-school or kindergarten read aloud. The book ends with a recipe for Apple Cake…just like the title. It would be a special treat to have the apple cake available after the story ☺ It would also make a good Valentine’s Day book display or just any other love themed book display. There is an AR test for those students who like to take the quizzes. I think this is a great book for a school library.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folk like in illustrative rendition, The muted, flat like images are lovely to behold. Avid readers will appreciate this tale of Ida whose first love is books. Nothing can entice her away from a good book. Ida is pretty and well read. Alfonso would love to court her, but getting her attention away from the pages is difficult.

All the usual modes of catching a woman's attention do not work on Ida. She is not drawn to guitar music; flowers don't thrill her, and butterflies are simply background images which don't distract her from a good story line.

Finally, stubborn in his intent, Alfonso bakes a cake. Collecting all fresh items for the special apple cake, Alfonso decided to bake Ida a cake and went to great lengths to collect the apples, eggs, sugar and the butter.

Alfonso is an intelligent man who decides to give added attention to the batter. Adding wishes and he turned the ingredients, he called for one part bitter and two parts sweet. Finally, the smell of the cake lured Ida to stop reading and to pay attention to Alfonso.

While the reader doesn't know the outcome of Alfonso's endeavors, at least he got the princess to stop and notice. ( )

[Charly Carbray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfonso is the happiest man around, truly loving the life he's living! He sees the beauty in everything, and that include Ida, the cute girl from across the way. But Ida doesn't see much of anything besides whats in her book; she loves to read and doesn't do much else. With some careful thought, Alfonso comes up with the best plan to win over Ida; an apple cake!

The illustrations really capture how whimsical this story really is, and the neutral, off white back ground makes for a really relaxing and happy feeling while reading. The best part? This book had a recipe in it!

I couldn't come up with any good teaching ideas, and then I had it! Why not make some changes to the recipe as a math lesson? Each student could either adjust it for the number of people in the class, or they can pretend they will make it at home with their families. (Extra credit if they actually make it! Double Extra Credit if they share! lol)

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten

A simple story about Ida, the never distracted book reader, and her lover Alfonso. In an attempt to catch her eye, Alfonso bakes Ida a cake with a most unusual process, including butter from the sun, flour from the stars, and salt from the sea. Against a simple white background, these small yet intricate, folk-art pictures are sure to stand out amidst other picture books. I suppose the story might be hard to accept for kids because some of the ingredients/baking steps are real (apples from an apple tree) some are plausible but unlikely (cutting the apple up with his sword, set them in the water of a fountain), and some are creative but unreal (butter from the sun, flour from the stars).

"This story is a celebration of the imagination and should spark discussions about solving problems creatively" (School Library Journal).

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with lively gouache and ink illustrations that show the lengths to which Alfonso will go to get the bookish Ida to notice him, this picture book shows that the way to a reading woman's heart just may be through her stomach. After Alfonso tries and fails to capture her attention, he prepares a yummy apple pie that makes her put her book down. From my experience with bibliophiles--yes, I'm certainly one--it's just about impossible to get them to stop reading when they're engrossed in a book, even long enough to eat a delicious pie. That must have been a fantastic dessert. I'm glad the author provides the recipe so that readers can test it for themselves. I'd have loved the book even more if the last page showed Alfonso and Ida enjoying a slice of pie while also reading a book together. What could be sweeter?

[Lauren Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Its about a boy, Aldonso, who is in love with a girl named Ida. He tried to get her attention but Ida's nose is always in her book. So he has an idea to get her attention by baker her an apple cake. He goes on many adventures and out of his way to bake the perfect cake for her, and when he is finally finished he wins her over. This is a sweet love story appropriate for young children. The illustrations are awesome, very spunky, colorful, and original. They are so good that you almost don't even need words to know what is going on in the story. Together the illustrations and book make an wonderful children's book. I would highly recommend this book.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, intelligent Ida always has her nose stuck in a book. So how is Alfonso supposed to get her attention to tell her he loves her? He tries flowers and music. He finally decides to bake her a cake.

The story is that of a man in love gathering ingredients and mixing them together to make an apple cake for the woman he loves. Ida's nose peeks out over her book to smell the delicious smell. When Alfonso presents her with the cake Ida is surprised and pleased.

And of course they enjoy it together.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ida is brilliant and beautiful, but her nose is always stuck in a book. She ignores Alfonso. So Alfonso determines to make her a wonderful apple cake. The story itself is fairly simple...Alfonso gathers the ingredients (including three wishes: one bitter and two sweet) and makes the cake. But the illustrations are really the star of this show and portray Alfonso's imaginative, magical, whimsical steps in making the cake.

The recipe at the back sounds yummy! I may try to make it this week.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my gosh, so cute. I love the whimsical, colorful illustrations on the mostly white background! This would be a great food storytime selection, so long as you have some kind of treat afterwards lol. I like that it actually tells how to make a cake but the illustrations also tell a story. It would be fun to say "where did he get the salt?" and the kids can call out the answer based on the picture.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfonso's attempt to woo the lovely, bookish Ida is simple, sweet and appealing, but it's Paschkis' illustrations that give the story a broad and gorgeous scope. I especially loved the spread of him spooning salt out of the sea... And the recipe at the end is a very nice, inclusive addition. Not deep or profound, but terribly charming.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appeal Characteristics, Multi-Cultural, Weirdly Unique...

If I was a child (or the child I was) would have loved this book! I think I also love it because the love interest (was significantly darker) so you could imagine a few cultures she could be. You just don't know. Well, at least that's how I imagined it.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the illustrations to be unique and wonderful. I can picture parents sitting with their young ones in their laps talking about what is going on with Alfonso as he bakes his apple cake. What fun! My storytimes tend to have too big a group for this one to work, but I will definitely be putting it where patrons will find it and (hopefully) take it home.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love is a delightful story of eventual love between two individuals that are brought together over baking. The story is sweet and simple, accompanied by drawings on matte white paper, which give the book a relaxing feeling. In the back is a recipe for the apple cake featured in the book, which may be fun for a teacher or parent to make with their student(s).

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sweet and whimsical. Ida always had her nose in a book... She never seemed to notice Alfonso. But, Alfonso would do anything and go anywhere for his sweetheart. From his heart, he bakes an unusual apple cake... that gets Ida to finally look up from her book and into the eyes of Alfonso. Aww.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfonso wants to get Ida's attention, but her nose is always in a book. He decides to make her an apple cake. The illustrations are wonderful, as Alfonso goes to the far ends of the world to get the ingredients for the cake. Would be a good read-aloud for Valentine's Day.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely not a story time book for me, because the storyline is above the heads and interest level of babies and toddlers, and because the text is too minimal to work for my older listeners. It's a sweet book, but I think adults will enjoy it more than kids.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how Alfonso woos Ida, Ida won't looke up from her book so he decides to bake her an apple cake. Charming illustrations. Sweet, simple story. Includes a recipe for apple cake.

themes: cake, love