Words like delightful and lovely aptly describe, but don't do justice to this little book of wonderfulness. Anne Michaels, award-winning author of Fugitive Pieces, has penned her first book for children, and I do so hope there will be more. Being a Children's Librarian, I was thrilled to discover this title which reminds me of why I became a librarian in the first place; books I read as a child, given to me by my English grandmother, that evoked images and had language that seems to have long-since disappeared in children's stories. Sixteen cats, a woman who flies using a tablecloth, a cast of assorted quirky characters, and a magical place where everyone accepts these events as matter-of-fact, make these tales of cupcake perfection . Michaels also highlights the unusual words in her stories as well as explaining literary devices (think "digression") , which somehow isn't intrusive, but rather enlightening and I know many young writers who will find this most helpful in their own stories. The gentle humour is also so welcome and both children and adults will delight in Michaels' turns of phrases. Cat spaghetti, as an aside, is my favourite image in the whole, entire book. I also need to mention, though words are everything, illustrations often make the book and Emma Block's illustrations complement the book perfectly, neither overwhelming nor hindering the text. The illustrations don't always match my vision of the characters in stories, but in this case, they are a match made in heaven. Thank you, Anne Michaels and Emma Block, for taking me back and paying it forward as I recommend this book to every child I meet!