Marigold Bakes a Cake

PreS-Gr 2—Marigold is not your average orange cat. Not only is he very clean but he's also extremely well organized. Unlike most people, Marigold loves Mondays. Mondays are for baking. When Marigold bakes, he can't have any visitors or distractions. Instead, he spends time sorting through his recipes to find the best one before getting down to work. Everything begins according to plan. Marigold adds egg whites…easy. He pours in a cup of milk…peasy. He adds the juice of a lemon…squeezy. Then, he sprinkles in a pinch of…finch? That's when things start to go bad. As soon as Marigold thinks he has ushered one bird out, others show up ready to help. Soon, the cat has a messy kitchen, plenty of birds, and no cake. As a frustrated Marigold heads out for a calming walk, the birds decide to take matters into their own hands. This book contains the perfect recipe for fun. The birds are added in cumulative order (one finch, two pigeons, three loons) and equipped with aprons and chef hats. The avian characters are revealed in rhyme ("a smidgen…of pigeons, three tablespoons…of loons"), which makes the story even more amusing to read aloud. The watercolor illustrations are impeccable. The detailed scenery doesn't take away from the main characters. Marigold's expressions are well depicted as he goes from mild-mannered cat to puff-tailed wild animal, and children will enjoy his solution to the problem.