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Not An Alphabet Book Case Missing Cake
Follow Bear from A to Z as he hunts for a cake thief in this alphabet book crossed with a whodunit.There has been a terrible crime, Bear tells us. Someone has STOLEN a delicious chocolate cake! Bear sets off to find the culprit, questioning characters and compiling clues from A to Z.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published February 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
March 17, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
The Case of the Missing Cake opens with Bear welcoming the reader and asking them to join him as he tries to find out who stole the most chocolatey, delicious cake in the world. By visiting things that being with each letter of the alphabet, Bear tries to work out who stole his cake.
The book is quite amusing and kids will enjoy that the book is aimed at them as Bear speaks directly to them to help him locate the cake. As an adult from page one you will already have sussed out who did it, but don’t let on if you are reading with a child!
I love the illustrations especially as they incorporate little clues to who stole the cake. Regarding the choice of words associated with the letters, I was surprised with a few of them such as for ‘X’ they chose Xylophone. I’d have chosen X-ray, as in ‘we’re going to x-ray your stomach to see if the cake is in there’ rather than a penguin playing the xylophone, but hey I’m just a reader and not an author.
For children who like a good giggle and solving mysteries, this book is perfect for them. I would also say it would work as a class read, getting the children to work together to figure out who the culprit is.
The Case of the Missing Cake opens with Bear welcoming the reader and asking them to join him as he tries to find out who stole the most chocolatey, delicious cake in the world. By visiting things that being with each letter of the alphabet, Bear tries to work out who stole his cake.
The book is quite amusing and kids will enjoy that the book is aimed at them as Bear speaks directly to them to help him locate the cake. As an adult from page one you will already have sussed out who did it, but don’t let on if you are reading with a child!
I love the illustrations especially as they incorporate little clues to who stole the cake. Regarding the choice of words associated with the letters, I was surprised with a few of them such as for ‘X’ they chose Xylophone. I’d have chosen X-ray, as in ‘we’re going to x-ray your stomach to see if the cake is in there’ rather than a penguin playing the xylophone, but hey I’m just a reader and not an author.
For children who like a good giggle and solving mysteries, this book is perfect for them. I would also say it would work as a class read, getting the children to work together to figure out who the culprit is.
September 15, 2023
Who ate the chocolate cake? An ABC book mystery with fantastic art! I really enjoy books like this - I guess I just like to go back to a time when I was a small boy and just read for pure pleasure. This may sound strange: but I think reading books for children (like this book) connects us to that inner child that we so often ignore as we get older.
March 12, 2021
Joku on syönyt karhun herkullisen suklaakakun ja niin alkaa syyllisen metsästäminen halki sivujen, joilla opetellaan samalla aakkosia. Lystikäs tapaus tämä irlantilaistekijän kuvakirja!
May 17, 2022
This is a silly book! Very Ms. Dale! I love a good interactive book!
October 6, 2020
A fun , amusing and interesting way to read and learn our Alphabets .
Follow the bear and investigate a pretty serious crime of the missing chocolaty chocolate cake ......
My 5 year old loved it.
Follow the bear and investigate a pretty serious crime of the missing chocolaty chocolate cake ......
My 5 year old loved it.
January 5, 2021
First book of the new year to make me lol!
December 3, 2021
I did not expect both of my kids to love this book LOL but they did! They are 2.5 and 5.5. They would say 5/5 stars. It loses a star for me because it’s bullying behavior that doesn’t totally get resolved in the most conscious ways. Lots of blame and shame flying around but in funny ways which makes it (maybe) a good tool for exploring these topics and creating discussion at early ages. Which we did. There are fun illustrations with heavy facial expressions so it can be a good tool for emotional intelligence as well. Could be helpful for some personalities dealing with trouble lying, blaming and shaming but again the resolution will need extra support from the adult reader. It entertains and it’s unique quirkiness stand out!
September 9, 2022
Super cute alphabet book. Unfortunately now my kids think it’s ok to steal cake from the kitchen.
June 4, 2020
This is a great twist to a classic alphabet book which will keep kids engaged with the funny and silly story. ‘Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake’ is just a little larger than A4 in size and is filled with thick matt pages of colourful illustrations and some text. Despite the name this actually is an alphabet book, although it also doubles as a bit of a detective story too.
The book begins with Bear telling us all about the most delicious chocolate cake which was sitting on the page (where the letter C is – for ‘cake’) but that’s now been stolen. He asks the readers help to solve the crime and then every page after that is a letter of the alphabet. On each page there’s a typical alphabet letter with something beginning with that world on the page, but Bear appears on these pages too asking various characters whether they’ve stolen the cake. The story continues throughout the pages, leading to a silly and funny conclusion. I like the story although to any adults reading it’s pretty obvious who has stolen the cake when you see the pictures, but it’s a great fun story for kids to get engaged in and I wonder whether any of them spot the clues on the pages before the ending.
Unlike lots of other alphabet books this one, with the story twist, makes this really fun to read, and also to look back on more than once, even as kids get older, as you can then go back to see if you spot the little clues. I like the choices of some of the letter words too, there are so many alphabet books that choose the same words again and again but I like the slightly different variety of some of them here, such as the word for the letter U being ‘universe’.
The illustrations are funny and I really like how Bear looks on the first pages. Talking to the reader and the face expressions throughout the story of various characters is so engaging and also fun to look at. I love the weirdness of some of the images too, such as the eye for the letter E and the silly images towards the end of the story. The illustrations just make this so much more engaging and although I don’t find the story all that funny personally, I do like the silliness of it in general.
Overall I do like this book and its unique and different take on your average alphabet book. It’s definitely one that children will enjoy looking at again, especially if they like the illustrations and the humour of what happens in the story.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy for review.
The book begins with Bear telling us all about the most delicious chocolate cake which was sitting on the page (where the letter C is – for ‘cake’) but that’s now been stolen. He asks the readers help to solve the crime and then every page after that is a letter of the alphabet. On each page there’s a typical alphabet letter with something beginning with that world on the page, but Bear appears on these pages too asking various characters whether they’ve stolen the cake. The story continues throughout the pages, leading to a silly and funny conclusion. I like the story although to any adults reading it’s pretty obvious who has stolen the cake when you see the pictures, but it’s a great fun story for kids to get engaged in and I wonder whether any of them spot the clues on the pages before the ending.
Unlike lots of other alphabet books this one, with the story twist, makes this really fun to read, and also to look back on more than once, even as kids get older, as you can then go back to see if you spot the little clues. I like the choices of some of the letter words too, there are so many alphabet books that choose the same words again and again but I like the slightly different variety of some of them here, such as the word for the letter U being ‘universe’.
The illustrations are funny and I really like how Bear looks on the first pages. Talking to the reader and the face expressions throughout the story of various characters is so engaging and also fun to look at. I love the weirdness of some of the images too, such as the eye for the letter E and the silly images towards the end of the story. The illustrations just make this so much more engaging and although I don’t find the story all that funny personally, I do like the silliness of it in general.
Overall I do like this book and its unique and different take on your average alphabet book. It’s definitely one that children will enjoy looking at again, especially if they like the illustrations and the humour of what happens in the story.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy for review.
October 18, 2022
10/14/2022 ~ Since this book is on the Young Hoosier list this year, I bought it for the library. I read it to K, 2nd, and 3rd graders this week. I was interested to note that the students (3rd especially) had the same reaction to the octopuses fat joke that I'd had in my early reading. It was also cool to watch kids of different ages watch the story unfold. The 3rd graders talked to the bear throughout, saying they knew he was the thief. Some of the kindergartners had to be led clue by clue to understand.
As a reading teacher, I was also curious to see how some readers/listeners held onto their initial assumptions (i.e. the pig was the thief) even in light of copious evidence in the story to to the contrary. This behavior shows a lack of comprehension; I'm not sure how to help kids be open to changing their mind about story events when they get clues.
7/10/2022 ~ I enjoyed the book until I got to the letter O. I know that kids are going to enjoy being in on the secret and telling each other and bear that we know he's the one who ate the cake - the clues are all over. The octopus's arms on several pages were fun too.
However...
1) The octopus tells bear "You're looking rather large....Have you put on weight?" (p. 18). This kind of fat-shaming is unacceptable, and shouldn't be modeled in books, even in jest.
2) Bear drags Pig off by the ear, saying "Everyone knows you stole the cake" The Queen then convicts the pig and banishes it (pp 19-20). There is no trial, no evidence, etc. This felt too reminiscent of the way our criminal (not) justice system works for too many people.
We can do better in our picture books.
As a reading teacher, I was also curious to see how some readers/listeners held onto their initial assumptions (i.e. the pig was the thief) even in light of copious evidence in the story to to the contrary. This behavior shows a lack of comprehension; I'm not sure how to help kids be open to changing their mind about story events when they get clues.
7/10/2022 ~ I enjoyed the book until I got to the letter O. I know that kids are going to enjoy being in on the secret and telling each other and bear that we know he's the one who ate the cake - the clues are all over. The octopus's arms on several pages were fun too.
However...
1) The octopus tells bear "You're looking rather large....Have you put on weight?" (p. 18). This kind of fat-shaming is unacceptable, and shouldn't be modeled in books, even in jest.
2) Bear drags Pig off by the ear, saying "Everyone knows you stole the cake" The Queen then convicts the pig and banishes it (pp 19-20). There is no trial, no evidence, etc. This felt too reminiscent of the way our criminal (not) justice system works for too many people.
We can do better in our picture books.
September 9, 2020
Where’s the Cake?!
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2020/09/09/... THANK YOU!
Yes, this is much more than an alphabet book! It is also a child-sized mystery that will be sure to give little ones lots of giggles. We learn on the first page that “the world’s most completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly chocolaty cake” is missing. So begins the search with Bear to visit each alphabet letter to find clues.
Along the way, Bear finds that funny words, situations and high jinks abound. For instance, take the case of the reformed Mr. Fox who is now good friends with the Gingerbread Man—despite one tiny bite--or the situation Bear finds himself in when Walrus asks a question. Sharp eyes will be able to gather information and spot clues as they make their way through the letters.
The great illustrations of this story’s shenanigans enhance the fun text to create one of the best children’s books I have seen. It is a hard-backed, well-made, over-sized volume. This is a book that can be used purely as an alphabet book for very young ones. But as they get older, they will grow into solving the mystery and enjoying the jokes. I predict this 5+ star book will wear out before a child is finished enjoying it, and highly recommend it.
Candlewick Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, for the purpose of review.
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2020/09/09/... THANK YOU!
Yes, this is much more than an alphabet book! It is also a child-sized mystery that will be sure to give little ones lots of giggles. We learn on the first page that “the world’s most completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly chocolaty cake” is missing. So begins the search with Bear to visit each alphabet letter to find clues.
Along the way, Bear finds that funny words, situations and high jinks abound. For instance, take the case of the reformed Mr. Fox who is now good friends with the Gingerbread Man—despite one tiny bite--or the situation Bear finds himself in when Walrus asks a question. Sharp eyes will be able to gather information and spot clues as they make their way through the letters.
The great illustrations of this story’s shenanigans enhance the fun text to create one of the best children’s books I have seen. It is a hard-backed, well-made, over-sized volume. This is a book that can be used purely as an alphabet book for very young ones. But as they get older, they will grow into solving the mystery and enjoying the jokes. I predict this 5+ star book will wear out before a child is finished enjoying it, and highly recommend it.
Candlewick Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, for the purpose of review.
August 12, 2021
An alphabet book that's more original than most, Not an Alphabet Book reads like a young detective story. It's also much better, in my opinion, than the unconventional picture book classic, Z Is for Moose. Great for older picture book readers looking for a mystery and some laughs.
October 7, 2020
Bear is thankful that the reader is on board to help him solve the mystery of the missing cake, “the world’s most completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly chocolaty cake.” As he goes through the alphabet finding suspects, a reader just might develop a conclusion as to who the culprit is, and it make involve Bear! Hilarious comments from the creatures Bear meets, such as this from Mr. Fox: “It was only one tiny bite. It was years ago. I’m a different fox now” will have adults and kids giggling, as will the very appealing digital illustrations. There’s a queen who resembles the queen from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a robot, and a gigantic walrus with a hip watch cap on who really has Bear’s number. Lots of little details, and meta references to different pages in the book, make this a modern, funny tale. I will definitely be using this for story time.
November 2, 2020
I mean, it's obvious from the beginning that [SPOILERS] it's the bear, isn't it? It's so clever how the bear interacts with the beings who represent the letters of the alphabet- I've never quite seen an alphabet book presented this way before. It works with kids who are learning the alphabet as well as kids who are familiar with it and will get the inside jokes (the fox and the gingerbread man for one). The penguin playing the xylophone on a floating chunk of ice in the middle of the universe is hilariously abstract and yet horrifying, as this place is supposed to be a prison of some sort. Also, I wanna know what kinds of mental health issues this bear is dealing with to *initiate* an investigation into a crime HE KNOWS HE DID. That's a little messed up, y'know? Anyhow, lots of layers here and lots of fun. Definitely rewards re-readings.
November 11, 2021
Bear introduces this alphabet book pleading with the readers to help him catch the culprit who stole the cake from the C page. As readers go through the alphabet of pages, clues wrack up, but can they find the real culprit?
This would be a great way to introduce 2 common mystery elements: 1) red herrings (of which there are several in this story), and 2) an unreliable narrator. I really like that there are visual clues for readers to observe. Some are red herrings, but some are legitimate, and you can figure out who really stole the cake from those visual clues. I also enjoyed how the book had the original alphabet book elements still, but the characters weren't all that concerned about that story line any more and were breaking character a bit, referring to certain page numbers, etc. A clever little mystery for young sleuths.
This would be a great way to introduce 2 common mystery elements: 1) red herrings (of which there are several in this story), and 2) an unreliable narrator. I really like that there are visual clues for readers to observe. Some are red herrings, but some are legitimate, and you can figure out who really stole the cake from those visual clues. I also enjoyed how the book had the original alphabet book elements still, but the characters weren't all that concerned about that story line any more and were breaking character a bit, referring to certain page numbers, etc. A clever little mystery for young sleuths.
August 24, 2020
No, it really is NOT an alphabet book, but it is an ABC story about a bear who tries very hard to excuse something readers figure out quickly. He ate the cake! Eoin McLaughlin shares his journey from accusing the dog on the D page who whimpers "No!" that some big guy always watches what he does. That bear you see on the cover also accuses the pig, in front of the Queen (the Q page). Poor Pig is banished to page 27, Oh no! I can hear those reading this story shouting that they know who really did it, and it is laughable to watch Bear's expressions as he moves along through the neighborhood. The fun is made even more so by Marc Boutavant's bright and bold colorful illustrations. Hilarity rules in this tale.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy.
January 13, 2021
Along the same lines as "Who wet my pants" we have a bear accusing others of his own actions. Only in this case the bear knows what he did and is looking for someone else to blame. He even allows the poor pig to be banished to page 27 and is happily laying in a hammock eating yogurt when the walrus brings forth the truth. And he shows no remorse, is just happy he can bake another cake.
I enjoy the story, and I think children will find it very humorous, especially once they pick up on the clues that the bear ate the cake. But I don't like the message that the bear can accuse and punish someone else for what he did. He never apologizes. Yeah, he gets banished to page 27, but there is nothing about his false accusations.
I enjoy the story, and I think children will find it very humorous, especially once they pick up on the clues that the bear ate the cake. But I don't like the message that the bear can accuse and punish someone else for what he did. He never apologizes. Yeah, he gets banished to page 27, but there is nothing about his false accusations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2020
This book had just the right humor that struck me as playful and funny. A bear is investigating a missing cake in an alphabet book. It's pretty obvious the whole time that the bear himself ate the cake, but it's still fun to see how his quest plays out. Also I like the Jack-in-the-Box page (I find those things creepy, too).
December 30, 2022
So funny! This book would pair really well with This Is Not My Hat to do a storytime or lesson on justice and have kids talk about what is fair. The illustrations are great, and there's humor to entertain both kids and adults alike. Love it!
July 23, 2020
A goofy alphabet mystery featuring a bear hunting a cake thief.
August 11, 2020
I'm a fan of alphabet books, especially ones that tell a story along the way. This will delight the young ABC detectives. Don't read the jacket blurb to the kids, it gives away the mystery.
August 14, 2020
Kids love being in the know with picture books and this one does a great job of providing the obvious clue and still be goofy fun.
August 27, 2020
a fun and different kind of ABC book
September 15, 2020
Clever mystery and alphabet book combined. Funny. Good for older preschool or school age. Would also be a fun lunch bunch or read to early elementary age group.
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September 19, 2020A very fun & funny alphabet who dunnit
October 4, 2020
A hilarious twist on the traditional alphabet book as the reader tries to help the bear (who is covered in chocolate) solve the mystery of who ate the chocolate cake! Super fun book.
October 20, 2020
Is it an alphabet book? A mystery? Who knows???
December 1, 2020
I thought this book was clever and fun. Bear is a great character and I really like the twist on an alphabet book!
December 1, 2020
An adorable alphabet book that *SURPRISE* actually includes a story! I loved the mystery of who ate the cake and all that animals/things that were involved.
December 12, 2020
A fun alphabet book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews