The Little Bitty Bakery

PreS-Gr 2—Elephant, a pastry chef, has been busy baking all day long. Too late and too tired to celebrate her birthday, she climbs into bed exhausted. But downstairs in the kitchen things are heating up. Suddenly a bunch of mice arrives on the scene and hatches a plan to make a luscious treat. They gather ingredients, measure and mix, and soon place their heartfelt creation into the oven. Elephant wakes up and startles the mice, who surprise her with a Crumble Jumble cake, which they proceed to enjoy and nibble on until morning. This delightful read-aloud, with its enticing cover featuring an array of sparkling baked goods, works well on many levels. Muir's sweet, engaging story is sprinkled with French words throughout, and Lewin's charming cartoon art, in nighttime shades of blue and purple, uses thick and thin brush lines to capture the action. Appended recipes are the icing on the cake.—Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH