Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake

by Eileen Christelow

Five little monkeys wake up with the sun. Today is their mama’s birthday and they are going to bake a cake. They'll have to measure the flour, mix in the right number of eggs, and get it into the oven in time for the birthday surprise— all without waking up Mama!

Eileen Christelow has created an original, high-energy romp, sure to delight any child who has tried to plan a surprise.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Food, Family, Fiction, Mathematics

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2005

About the author

Eileen Christelow is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her beloved Five Little Monkeys series. Beginning with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, a playful retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, the series has captivated generations of young readers with its humor and rhythmic storytelling. Over the course of her career, Christelow has published more than 30 books, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and many inspired by her surroundings in Vermont, her family life, and even her dog, Emma.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1943, Christelow spent her formative years in Connecticut and briefly in Japan, where she attended the American School in Tokyo. She studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, a discipline that would influence her later work in design and illustration. After working for several years as a freelance photographer, she turned her focus to writing and illustrating picture books while raising her daughter in California. Her earliest works, Henry and the Red Stripes and Mr. Murphy’s Marvelous Invention, were published by Clarion Books in the early 1980s.
Christelow’s books often celebrate storytelling, curiosity, and mischief, appealing to children and educators alike. Titles like What Do Authors Do?, What Do Illustrators Do?, and Vote! provide engaging nonfiction content for young readers, while others such as Letters From a Desperate Dog and The Great Pig Escape draw on humorous real-life scenarios. Her works have received numerous accolades and several Five Little Monkeys titles have been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
She continues to live and work in East Dummerston, Vermont, in a home designed by her husband, where she draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the state. Christelow remains a cherished voice in children’s literature, with a lasting legacy of entertaining and educating young readers.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five little monkeys predictably make a mess trying to bake their mother a birthday cake, but the chaos is fun, and I love that Mama made preparations to sleep in and makes the most of a bad situation by hitting on some firefighting beefcake.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical of the author's other Five Little Monkey stories, this one has the little monkeys letting Mama sleep in while they make her a birthday cake. I'm not sure the resultant mess could be considered a birthday gift, but the cake is fun and she gets to meet a couple of firefighters so there's that. A fun group read aloud!

[Christine Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story but the idea of young monkeys using the oven while Mama sleeps makes me feel obligated to share a PSA before reading the story.

Christine

[Shanna Gonzalez]

The five little monkeys are back, ready to charm and delight toddlers everywhere. This time they wake up early to bake a surprise birthday cake for Mama, with each scene punctuated by the refrain, "Shhh! Don't wake Mama!" Much hilarity ensues as their well-intended efforts culminate in a visit from the fire department, and finally they wake Mama with a loud birthday song.

This is a likably repetitive story that preschoolers will love for its simple humor. Its pleasant characters and slapstick humor create an undeniable appeal, and parents will appreciate the fact that the children work together to express their love toward their mother, who deserves a break after all she's put up with from them.

[Little Champs]

Number 59

[Annie Flanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo adorable.

The Five Little Monkeys want to surprise their momma with a birthday cake for her birthday. They do everything possible to put the cake together - and bake it - without waking up their mother.

[Karla Fuerte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The five little monkeys in this book wake up early because it is their mothers birthday. The monkeys write their mother some notes then they head to the kitchen. The monkeys are making their mother a cake and all the while are wrecking the kitchen. The monkeys tell each other throughout the book Shh don't wake up mama. The cake begins to let out smoke which causes the fire department to show up. The monkey's tell their mother Happy Birthday but it is her birthday the next day. The monkeys devise a plan to bake a cake again. But everyone still eats the cake, the fire fighters included. This is a fun book that kids will truly be entertained with. It is also very relate able due to the fact that children are always getting in to trouble. I really have enjoyed this book since I was a child.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

I don't think I'll ever like these books as much as I could. I always feel like they should rhyme. They always get 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed stuck in my head and then feel lackluster against the fun rhymes.

The story itself was okay. Definitely wouldn't recommend letting monkeys (or children) use the oven by themselves, even if firefighters may or may not have ideas for how to fix the mess. Cute illustrations. It's obviously one of those books that is not meant to be taken seriously but I take a little seriously because I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to wake up to find firefighters in your bedroom after your children almost set the kitchen on fire.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's mama's birthday and her 5 monkey children are baking her a birthday cake. This book perfectly illustrates that things don't have to turn out perfectly to be enjoyed by all. It also perfectly illustrates that even when children are helping mom's have a lot of work to do.

* Talking points: What gifts have you given to your mom? What gifts have you given to your dad? What gifts would you want to receive from your children? What's your favorite kind of cake? Do things have to turn out perfectly to be enjoyable?

** Essential Oil Pairing Tip: While reading this book or for birthdays try diffusing the following Birthday Bliss Blend - 3 drops of doTERRA's Motivate with 1 drop Spearmint, 2 drops Wild Orange and 2 drops Grapefruit. It's party time!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with Julia.
3/16/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
4/3/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
5/3/17 Read with Julia.
7/30/17 Read with Julia.
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3/15/19 Read with Julia.
4/16/19 Read with Naomi & Julia
7/24/19 Read with Julia
1/30/20 Read with Julia
11/3/20 Read withJulia
12/21/20 Julia read to me
3/12/24 Read with Charlotte
4/8/24 Read with Skylar
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2/7/25 Read with Charlotte and Skylar
3/17/25 Read with Charlotte
6/27/25 Read with Charlotte and Skylar
9/27/25 Read with Finnian
2/23/26 Read with Skylar

[Myriam B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it is funny and has alot of real character in it. I find myself making a lot more noise in the kitchen when I'm in a rush. That's it what happen with the monkeys. They don't want to wake mama, but they are rushing and making a lot mess in the kitchen thinking it was mama's birthday.

LE: I will actually have the children help me bake a cake. We will pour in the cake mix, measure the milk, brake in the eggs, measure the vanilla, and the sugar and mix it with a mixture and put it in the oven.

[Paula Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute story about five little monkeys making a cake for their mom. You will love the illustrations and the characters; they are full of details and their expressions on their faces are priceless! This story not only teaches children what it means to be a family, it also teaches them about nutrition and baking. This is a fabulous book to read to children right before you bake a cake with them for a fun activity. Children will learn the importance of teamwork as they all work together to bake a cake.

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one makes S- laugh and I love to read funny books aloud. I think this story is a big improvement over the first Five Little Monkeys jumping on the Bed story. Is has more nuances and is probably for an older audience. S- likes to point out the foreshadowed problems with the cake which are great learning tools for reading. The surprise at the end of the story is fun too. I also like the original title better.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was Fritz's bedtime story this evening. It looked like it would be good. Alas it was not so hot. A silly tale of five monkeys cooking a birthday cake for their sleeping mother. Not only was it not fun, the firemen's solution to a burnt cake would not have made it delicious, as Mama said it was.

But Daddy's funny voice apparently pulled it through for Fritz. We had a good time being silly.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. Eileen Christelow did a good job with creating a common way to count that relates to everyday life. Numerous kids love to bake desserts with their parents. This book does just that. It includes measurements of baking and numbers of ingredients in a recipe. It also adds to the storyline of the monkeys making a birthday cake for their mom. The illustrations in this book are very happy and the monkeys faces are adorable.

[Holly N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake by Eileen Christelow is a silly and fun story involving five little monkeys and their use of mathematical concepts, such as measurement and time, and seriation for cooking in order to bake a cake for their mother. It was accompanied with appealing illustrations and a delight from start to finish. I recommend this book be used along with a cooking activity for young children to have a hands on experience they can remember.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the fun song about monkeys jumping on the bed comes a series of books about said monkeys doing other things. In this case, they are baking a cake for mom. But don't wake her up! The story is not as good as the original, but it's still entertaining for young children. Our girls thought it was hilarious when they got the recipe proportions all wrong and added too much of everything.

[Modboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny what parents will let their kids get away with in the name of getting a few extra Zs. The Five Little Monkeys make a mess while making a surprise for Mama. It's cute and has the repeated phrases/rhythm that young children seem to enjoy but I think it's the engaging art that will keep them coming back for more.

[John Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an awesome book. This book connects with a number of mathematical topics such as measurements, addition, multiplication, and doubles. I really enjoyed this book because it has some many tools to choose from to create a lesson. I would definitely use and reuse this book to teach doubles, addition, measurement, and subtraction.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story of the monkeys preparing for their mother's birthday. (I had a suspicion about the ending.) I like how the 2 firemen joined in. A fun read-alone and lap-read. I'm sure it would work in a storytime, but I'm not quite getting the book to feel confident in reading it. Still would be nice to have on display for the birthday theme.

[Elizabeth Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because there are so many ways I could use this book. This book can be used in all six domains. I believe I fits best in the math domain because there is a lot of measuring in the book. There is repetition in this book which makes it good for literature. Also, there is a lot of action in the book which makes it good for drama.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The naughty monkeys are not jumping on the bed...they’re making a birthday cake for Mama. Chaos ensues! They rope in two firemen/monkeys at one point. AND...they have to do it quietly. Flo love that the naughty monkeys make noise - particularly when they are making a present for Mama which entails hammers, saws, and noisy felt tip pens. “They are naughty and noisy” said Florence with a huge grin.

[Elizabeth Bancroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t Wake Up Mama! By Eileen Christelow, is a cute story about five little monkeys who want to bake birthday cake for their mom. I loved the illustrations and the repetition of the phrase “Don’t Wake Up Mama!” This book introduces children how to measure, so they can bake a cake of their own with their families.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I understand what the author was going for with this story, this story is concerning on many levels. If she is home alone with her children, then the Mama monkey shouldn’t really be wearing earmuffs in bed or post a do not disturb sign on her door. Not smelling smoke or hearing the firemen come is also majorly alarming.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Little rise with the sun to make mama a birthday cake for her birthday. As the five little monkeys scurry about preparing the cake, their main concern is not to wake mama. Barely avoiding disaster during the cake making, the five little monkeys avoid waking mama until it's time to enjoy the cake and surprise mama.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of her little monkeys books are cute. In this one the "kids" are trying to bake a surprise cake, and of course that results in a huge mess. I'm sure many of us remember baking disasters, either as a kid or as the parent that gets to help clean it all up!

[Cayla Lile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable story of five monkeys who want to bake their mother a birthday cake, but they don't want to wake her up. Chaos insues and the fire department comes, but all ends well! This book includes a counting aspect throughout the story and is great for reading aloud!

[Chantana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book with a variety of illustrations. The children can write what happened first, second, etc. They can even conduct an homework assignment were they bake a cake with their parents and document the progress.

[Yohan Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I really like the story of how little cute monkeys are baking some cakes for their mom. How sweet!

* The young readers are going to learn about the way of the baking the cake.

* On the end of the page, there was a humor that actually their mom's birthday was tomorrow.

[Michelle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has cute and colorful pictures for children. Preschool aged children up to 6 year old children will love the humor in this book. The book contains numbers which is great practice. This book made me laugh!