Is A Party More Than Just A Perfect Cake?
Publisher’s Description
Summer birthdays can be lonely, but not when you have great friends like Beavers! This year Tortoise, Bird, Rabbit, and Squirrel insist on baking Beaver’s birthday cake, but Beaver isn’t so sure. He is the ultimate perfectionist and would rather do it himself, following the recipe exactly. Will Beaver’s nitpicky ways ruin his birthday and his friendships? The Perfect Birthday Recipe is the fourth and final story in Katy Hudson’s best-selling set of seasonal picture books, including Too Many Carrots, A Loud Winter’s Nap, and The Golden Acorn.
Details
- Title: The Perfect Birthday Recipe
- Author/Illustrator: Katy Hudson
- Publisher: Capstone Editions (February 1, 2020)
- Pages: 32
My Thoughts
Beaver likes to be totally in charge of his life and what goes on around him. Some might call him a perfectionist. And they would be right. Though perfection to one might be different for another, Beaver has a clear idea of what is perfect.
And for his birthday he has spent time creating the perfect recipe for the perfect cake. But when he tells his friends about the perfect multi-layered cake that he plans to make, they say it’s too much work for one person.
So Tortoise, Bird, Rabbit, and Squirrel insist that they will bake the cake. However, in their haste, a series of mishaps result in a creation that is far from perfect. So far from perfect that Beaver loses it,
“This is the UGLIEST most DISGUSTING cake I have ever seen!” he yelled. “None of you followed my very clear recipe.”
Yikes! Though Beaver is a perfectionist, he may have lost it. How will his friends react when he proceeds to start all over and make the cake himself?
Hudson’s illustrations are extremely cute and accompany the story beautifully.
My thanks for NetGalley and Capstone for an ARC of this book and the freedom to give my honest opinion.
What Concerned Me
The text was just on the edge of bothering me. Especially in one place where the dialog has so many noticeable tags.
- interrupted Rabbit
- started Beaver
- offered Rabbit
- tweeted Bird
I just felt the text didn’t flow easily. But all in all, this is a very small concern.
What I Liked Best
A) The message is very good . . .
- Watch that your vision of perfection doesn’t cause you to overlook what’s really important.
- Weigh the importance of what is upsetting you and try to enjoy the moment.
and
B) I love the cute illustrations. To see for yourself, watch the trailer below.
About the Author
Katy was raised in Middlesbrough and started her Illustration career as a small child drawing on freshly emulsioned walls around the house! Her parents quickly dissuaded this medium and encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead.
The idea stuck (the pencil was updated to an ink pot and pen in some cases) and after some lovely time at Art College and a degree in Illustration Katy is now a freelance Illustrator working at a desk in an old London library.
