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I Really Want The Cake
There's a smell I can't ignore.
It's wafting through the kitchen door.
It's time for me to find out more.
I think it might be cake.
How do you resist the most amazing cake ever? Especially when your mum has left a note saying that you MUST NOT eat the cake?
It's wafting through the kitchen door.
It's time for me to find out more.
I think it might be cake.
How do you resist the most amazing cake ever? Especially when your mum has left a note saying that you MUST NOT eat the cake?
40 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2017
2 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
December 12, 2019
Not sure how this autobiography about me was approved but it's the most accurate thing ever written.
November 30, 2020
Sometimes, you just really want cake.
That's the dilemma facing the little girl in this story. Her mom has baked a cake, and it smells delicious. Try as she might, though, the kid just can't put the treat out of her mind. She tries to distract herself, to no avail. Eventually, she gives in. Just a little lick should be okay... right? Well, not exactly. And then she's faced with a whole new dilemma!
The rhyming text has near-perfect meter, which is a refreshing change. The story is told clearly, and there's a nice message about taking responsibility for your actions. The illustrations are cute; the little dog who's the girl's partner in crime is a neat motif that runs throughout the book.
Overall, I'd recommend this one to readers looking for strong rhyming picture books.
Also to people who love cake.
Quotable moment:
That's the dilemma facing the little girl in this story. Her mom has baked a cake, and it smells delicious. Try as she might, though, the kid just can't put the treat out of her mind. She tries to distract herself, to no avail. Eventually, she gives in. Just a little lick should be okay... right? Well, not exactly. And then she's faced with a whole new dilemma!
The rhyming text has near-perfect meter, which is a refreshing change. The story is told clearly, and there's a nice message about taking responsibility for your actions. The illustrations are cute; the little dog who's the girl's partner in crime is a neat motif that runs throughout the book.
Overall, I'd recommend this one to readers looking for strong rhyming picture books.
Also to people who love cake.
Quotable moment:
September 19, 2020
The story of my life
July 21, 2022
I too really want the cake.
January 21, 2021
I love this rhyming picture book. The little girl really wants the cake and she's not supposed to have it. her and her dog try to hold out to not eat the cake by doing other things, but the temptation is too great and she just wants one lick but ends up eating the whole cake and she makes another cake and really messes up the kitchen. the illustrations convey lots of emotion and movement
May 2, 2020
There's a smell I can't ignore.
It's wafting through the kitchen door.
It's time for me to find out more.
I think it might be cake.
How do you resist the most amazing cake ever? Especially when your mum has left a note saying that you MUST NOT eat the cake?
It's wafting through the kitchen door.
It's time for me to find out more.
I think it might be cake.
How do you resist the most amazing cake ever? Especially when your mum has left a note saying that you MUST NOT eat the cake?
June 24, 2020
Our poor heroine must ignore a beautifully decorated, deliciously aromatic cake. This does not go well. A fun rhyming narrative with a repetitive refrain throughout, this will make a perfect read-aloud. Loved it.
January 16, 2019
LOVE this one! A touching story of a girl and her sneaky quest for cake (includes a bonus cake recipe)!
December 2, 2019
The book is full of fun. There are many creative things and it rhymes. Beautiful pictures.
June 14, 2020
Started grinning on page 3 and DID NOT STOP. Great humour, great illustrations, and so much fun to read aloud.
August 12, 2020
This could be my biography
February 3, 2021
Full of personality, charming illustrations, and wonderful rhymes that all convey the irresistible urge of a young girl for a forbidden cake.
Read
March 31, 2021bought this book for storytime for my church kiddos but ended up reading it to my (34 year old adult) friend for her birthday. proceeded to eat cake three times in the week following.
April 26, 2021
A super cute read in rhyme for all readers who also want the cake!
November 17, 2022
Um. Love the rhyme and meter (read it aloud and tell me you recognize it, otherwise I'll have to tell you what classic you must listen to next). I enjoyed the art, and my adult son really admired it a lot. We both thought it was funny and felt oh-so-real. We both hesitated over the climax and resolution... I think this is going to be the perfect opener for a child-led discussion of patience, temptation, consequences, and making amends.
I wonder if it's inspired by a true story....
3.5 stars rounded up because I'm not quite curmudgeonly enough to round down.
I wonder if it's inspired by a true story....
3.5 stars rounded up because I'm not quite curmudgeonly enough to round down.
September 23, 2020
It's funny and silly, and kids love that. The rhyming was a bit much for me.
December 8, 2020
Alena really likes cake and she really liked this book too. She had lots of smiles. I liked it okay.
February 11, 2022
Fun, rhyming story about a little girls attempts to resist the ultimate temptation... Cake! With bright, clear illustrations throughout this highly relatable tale will be a hit with children aged 5+ There's plenty of scope for discussion in a classroom about the ways the children might distract themselves from temptation like our heroine and for exploring how they might solve the problem of the missing cake. This would also be a lovely text to use as inspiration for an art lesson designing a cake, an sphe lesson on healthy eating or a maths/science lesson on measures/materials and change (with real cake to be eaten at the end!)
December 1, 2019
I Really Want the Cake is a very relatable story - if someone tells you not to eat cake, who amongst us would find that command easy to follow? - but the little girl in this story eats the cake and doesn't get in trouble at all. To be fair, she does make the effort to bake her mum a new cake after she eats the original one, but I'm not sure whether it's the right moral to be teaching! Will make you crave cake, so if you read this picture book make sure that you have some in the kitchen cupboard, otherwise you'll have to make a quick trip to the supermarket.
March 22, 2021
Adorable, hilarious, relatable, this is a great book! I really laughed and enjoyed it.
My only concerns are the lack of consequences at the end and the fact that the dog eats the chocolate cake too. If the dog was going to eat the cake, they could have done a different kind of cake other than chocolate that wouldn't have been poisonous to the dog. I had to give the kids a reminder at the end not to let dogs have chocolate and to always tell a grown up right away if a dog does eat chocolate. But other than that, it is mostly just a fun book that will definitely make you want some cake!
My only concerns are the lack of consequences at the end and the fact that the dog eats the chocolate cake too. If the dog was going to eat the cake, they could have done a different kind of cake other than chocolate that wouldn't have been poisonous to the dog. I had to give the kids a reminder at the end not to let dogs have chocolate and to always tell a grown up right away if a dog does eat chocolate. But other than that, it is mostly just a fun book that will definitely make you want some cake!
March 2, 2021
Fun colors and a neat rhyming scheme tell the story of one enterprising girl and her dog who go bonkers over the sight and smell of cake. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are clearly two different things as well all know. When a lick turns into a bite, turns into devouring, the duo has some explaining to do. There's a good hearted message about honesty in the book and making an effort to make things right after making a mistake.
October 1, 2021
As someone who really loves cake, I very much relate to this book.
The main character in this story really wants cake, but Mom said no. What an agony of allurement!
The rhyme and rhythm of this story happened to be just about perfect. I loved the way the crayon-style illustrations added humor along with the cleverly-crafted verses. I also appreciate that it's a book about loving cake--and loving those around you by trying to make things right.
The main character in this story really wants cake, but Mom said no. What an agony of allurement!
The rhyme and rhythm of this story happened to be just about perfect. I loved the way the crayon-style illustrations added humor along with the cleverly-crafted verses. I also appreciate that it's a book about loving cake--and loving those around you by trying to make things right.
December 13, 2020
This book totally cracked me up. It completely reminds of when I can’t get something tasty out of my mind, and I give in because pull of something like cake is oh so strong! The illustrations of the little girl and her dog were also done in a style I do not think I have seen before. Perfect read aloud for children 2-4 or as an early reader for ages 5 and up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2021
A little girl who loves cake reads the note her mother left - "YOU MUST NOT EAT THE CAKE." She tries so very hard - but the temptation is too great. Once she gives in there's no stopping and she knows she'll be in trouble. She tries to make amends but - oh my! - messy - and a funny ending to this fun rhyming story. Entertaining illustrations.
December 1, 2021
Oh, I Really Want (The Cake) gave me so many laughs. I loved the illustrations and the bright, fun color palette. The rhyming of the story was also fun and the ending was even funnier. A great humorous book to read to illicit a laugh out of the audience.
(Also, I love the printing on the book. The matted pages over glossy? *swoon*)
(Also, I love the printing on the book. The matted pages over glossy? *swoon*)
November 3, 2020
A little girl attempts to resist her desire to eat the cake.
“I really want the cake!”
The smell of cake attracts the attention of a little girl and her dog. Because she is not allowed to eat the cake, the girl tries to distract herself. She tries leaving the room. But she finally just gives in to her desire, and she and her dog eat the entire cake.
Here is where the story takes an unexpected turn. Instead of her mother arriving home, and the girl suffering negative consequences, she manages to bake another cake while making an incredible mess in the kitchen. The book ends with her presenting another equally fancy cake to her mother. There is no suggestion on the back endpapers that things are anything other than fine.
The lack of conclusion leaves the reader hanging. It feels as if the story is missing the final scene, one in which the main character is mopping the kitchen or sitting in a time out. There isn't adequate resolution. Omitting the illustration of the paint covered boy sitting in the bathtub with his arms crossed at the end of I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! would create the same effect.
At the outset, it looks like the morals are going to be exercise self-control, don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you, listen and follow instructions, and if you make a mess, clean it up. But the moral turns out to be all’s well that ends well. Go ahead. Have your cake and eat it, too! I read this with my children, and they predicted that the main character’s mother would be mad and that she would get in trouble, and they were surprised by the ending — surprised as in perplexed, not as in delighted.
Readers who love cake will enjoy this picture book.
While the text has a highly structured form and rhyme scheme, the wording never feels forced or overly contrived. The illustrations are lively and imaginative.
“I really want the cake!”
The smell of cake attracts the attention of a little girl and her dog. Because she is not allowed to eat the cake, the girl tries to distract herself. She tries leaving the room. But she finally just gives in to her desire, and she and her dog eat the entire cake.
Here is where the story takes an unexpected turn. Instead of her mother arriving home, and the girl suffering negative consequences, she manages to bake another cake while making an incredible mess in the kitchen. The book ends with her presenting another equally fancy cake to her mother. There is no suggestion on the back endpapers that things are anything other than fine.
The lack of conclusion leaves the reader hanging. It feels as if the story is missing the final scene, one in which the main character is mopping the kitchen or sitting in a time out. There isn't adequate resolution. Omitting the illustration of the paint covered boy sitting in the bathtub with his arms crossed at the end of I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! would create the same effect.
At the outset, it looks like the morals are going to be exercise self-control, don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you, listen and follow instructions, and if you make a mess, clean it up. But the moral turns out to be all’s well that ends well. Go ahead. Have your cake and eat it, too! I read this with my children, and they predicted that the main character’s mother would be mad and that she would get in trouble, and they were surprised by the ending — surprised as in perplexed, not as in delighted.
Readers who love cake will enjoy this picture book.
While the text has a highly structured form and rhyme scheme, the wording never feels forced or overly contrived. The illustrations are lively and imaginative.
February 17, 2023
The illustrations are full of energy and emotion, but the story has two major flaws. It's clear from the beginning that the little girl's experience of temptation and loss of self-control are the driving forces of this story, but one expects some kind of resolution at the end where she apologizes, receives some kind of consequence for her action, and restores her relationship with her mother. Nothing of the kind ever happens. Her mom never appears on the page, and the open-ended ending feels incredibly unsatisfying, since you need the mom's reaction for the story to feel complete.
Also, the illustrations show the girl eating this chocolate cake WITH HER DOG, even though chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Nothing about the story acknowledges this. It's alarming to see the dog eating the cake and getting its face covered in chocolate, and this can be dangerous in the real world for actual dogs, if kids have seen fictional dogs eat chocolate without consequences and don't realize they can't share a chocolate treat with their pet.
Also, the illustrations show the girl eating this chocolate cake WITH HER DOG, even though chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Nothing about the story acknowledges this. It's alarming to see the dog eating the cake and getting its face covered in chocolate, and this can be dangerous in the real world for actual dogs, if kids have seen fictional dogs eat chocolate without consequences and don't realize they can't share a chocolate treat with their pet.
July 20, 2020
3 1/2 stars
Great googly moogly, this looks like the most glorious chocolate cake in the world, and by the end of reading this book I am undone by my craving for chocolate cake. I have NO chocolate cake, and all that I can think about it chocolate cake. Thank goodness that I am a grownup and no one will tell me (except common sense and my scale) not to eat chocolate cake. Ha! I ignore them; we do not such need negativity in our lives right now.
To read or not to read for a story time?
Danger: small children will be entranced by the copious mentions of sweets and demand cake at the end. Ending is ambiguous in its morality. I might drool and embarrass myself.
Pluses: CAKE! Relatability for struggling will power is high. Illustrations are fun and done in a style that is slightly vintage. Cake! The rhymes are not bad. Cake. The dog is adorable. Did I mention...any book that references Bruno Munari is kind of nifty?
Great googly moogly, this looks like the most glorious chocolate cake in the world, and by the end of reading this book I am undone by my craving for chocolate cake. I have NO chocolate cake, and all that I can think about it chocolate cake. Thank goodness that I am a grownup and no one will tell me (except common sense and my scale) not to eat chocolate cake. Ha! I ignore them; we do not such need negativity in our lives right now.
To read or not to read for a story time?
Danger: small children will be entranced by the copious mentions of sweets and demand cake at the end. Ending is ambiguous in its morality. I might drool and embarrass myself.
Pluses: CAKE! Relatability for struggling will power is high. Illustrations are fun and done in a style that is slightly vintage. Cake! The rhymes are not bad. Cake. The dog is adorable. Did I mention...any book that references Bruno Munari is kind of nifty?
September 3, 2024
This book tells the story of a young girl who is alone, and she is tempted by a chocolate cake that was left out. She wants to eat it, but her mom says she is not allowed to. She eventually gives in to temptation and eats the whole thing. She feels bad, so she tries to make another cake, which makes a big mess. In the end, she says she's sorry but at least she made another cake.
I think the pictures in this story are illustrated very well, and I think it would be interesting for children to read. I do not love how she gives into temptation, but the story is left open-ended before her mom comes home. Because the book is left open-ended, I think that this would be a great opportunity to have students infer what might happen next. You can easily talk about consequences and relate this to children's own experiences with temptation and giving into their own temptations.
I think the pictures in this story are illustrated very well, and I think it would be interesting for children to read. I do not love how she gives into temptation, but the story is left open-ended before her mom comes home. Because the book is left open-ended, I think that this would be a great opportunity to have students infer what might happen next. You can easily talk about consequences and relate this to children's own experiences with temptation and giving into their own temptations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews