Cake

by Sue Hendra, Paul Linnet

In the tradition of I Want My Hat Back , this delicious story from Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet tells the story of a cake who’s about to attend his very first party—but he has no idea what’s coming!

Cake has been invited to his very first birthday party!

He buys just the right outfit—including the PERFECT hat.

But as the candles on his perfect party hat begin to burn, and the other party guests start to sing, Cake starts to think that this is one party he’d rather not be at…

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Humor, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2018

Reviews

[Dedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, this is one of my new favorite read alouds!!! Fans of Artie the Doughnut should check this one out for sure.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cake is invited to a party. He has never been to one before so sets out to look his best. Readers will predict what will happen but Cake doesn't suspect until almost too late.
Fun and humor and brightly colored illustrations.

[Alyssa Strasma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a hilarious children’s book! I loved it and could barely read the ending because I was laughing so hard. My toddler didn’t appreciate me stopping mid-sentence, but I seriously was overtaken with giggles and couldn’t read. Super cute book!

[Lindsay Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and twisty!

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

They didn’t have to go so hard like that

[Effie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adult I find this really funny. I'm wondering if little kids might be seriously worried for poor Cake!

[Sarah Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of this one is cute, but I felt like it spent more time on him finding his "hat" than it did on the ending. It just ended very abruptly.

[Christine Turner]

Subject: Cake -- Juvenile fiction.
Birthday parties -- Juvenile fiction.
Humorous stories.

Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet tells the story of a cake who's about to attend his very first party--but he has no idea what's coming! Cake has been invited to his very first birthday party! He buys just the right outfit--including the PERFECT hat. But as the candles on his perfect party hat begin to burn, and the other party guests start to sing, Cake starts to think that this is one party he'd rather not be at...

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This clever picture book celebrates the excitement of being invited to a birthday party. But it's a cake that's been invited, and he's somewhat naive. He gets the perfect hat and goes on over to the party. But when the singing stops and the candles are blown out, will Cake figure out what's going to happen next? This hilarious book might be a good way to practice making predictions in stories and also point of view.

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cake makes you re-evaluate every birthday party you have ever been to and leaves you feeling remarkably guilty! With a party coming up Cake needs to find a hat, so of course he ends up wearing a hat of icing and candles, but it isn't until his candles get blown out that he realises his mistake... Hilariously funny, with brilliant illustrations jam-packed with all of your favourite party foods.

[PH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and cute book but am not sure if its good for a read aloud. A lot of story happens in the illustrations which may not be clear in a read aloud unless its one on one or with a very small group.
I read it with my then 6 year old and the first read was no fun at all till we noticed all the little but important pieces happening in the illustrations.
After that it went to a whole new level of fun.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, silly book that is great for making predictions. Cake gets invited to a party, and doesn't seem to realize that this party means he will be eaten. I loved the ending (rather than having the party-goers admit they just wanted him as a guest, which I've seen a lot, a lot of other foods sweep in and perform a daring rescue: "RUN, CAKE!").

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cake is invited to a party and needs to dress up. This is a special occassion. Cake tries on many different ones until finding the perfect one...it looks like icing. Cake excitedly goes to the party. Cak is enjoying the party until the lights go out. The next scene shows Cake's friends (ice cream, soda, etc.) running with Cake out the door and away from the house. They just saved Cake's life. Funny premise, but the story is a little thin.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your kids like dark humor similar to Hello Hotdog, or I Want My Hat back, this book is for you. Personally, I was cracking up as cake spends a great deal of time picking out a hat for the party, never considering what generally happens to cake. A great read for preschool and kindergarten!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has one joke, but the buildup of the reader's tension relative to the cake's obliviousness is just perfect. And the ending is surprising and hilarious. Might be a little long for storytime, but I'd like to try it!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love sharing Arnie the Doughnut with students and since Cake follows in the same footsteps, I think students will love this book. Now it doesn't have all of the side bits and humor like Arnie the Doughnut but who doesn't love cake? I can't wait to start sharing this one with students.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The whole thing felt icky to me. The poor cake was set up by predators. He goes to a party, but based on what happens at the party, he clearly didn't know anyone there. So why was he there? Obviously the intentions of inviting the cake were nefarious. Yuck.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book about a cake that goes looking for a hat because he got invited to a birthday party. Eventually he finds his candle hat and makes it to the party, and then realizes what is happening and has to rush out of there. Really cute and clever story.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of funny. A cake gets invited to a birthday party. I should have known what was up at that point, but I didn't get it until I saw him wearing his hat 🤣. Nice rescue mission at the end, and I definitely laughed at the piñata.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cutest illustrations ever pair with simple text and a surprise twist at the end. Would be fun to share in a storytime with littles!

Themes: cake, birthday parties, humor, hats
Ages: toddler-1st grade
Pub year: 2018

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, clever story

[Laura's Book Addiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute and funny read, perfect birthday reading!!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute story perfect for a birthday storytime!

[Hanna Yost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute and funny for adults and maybe older kids, but ultimately kind of scary for sensitive little ones!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Semi cute story about the preparations Cake makes in order to attend a birthday party.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and funny for the older crowd, but as a child I would have been worried about Cake and then the piñata.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end makes the book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

hee hee hee

[susan nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

use for k -1 storytime
use for k school visits

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!