I don't like Charise Mericle Harper. No, I am not in a grumpy mood, I'm just a woman of strong dislikes. I found her Fashion Kitty really annoying and generally consider her illustrations a poor imitation of Lauren Child.But I was reluctantly forced to adore this oddly charming story of a plain cupcake longing for decoration and finally achieving the perfect look with the help of a rather confused candle.
Cupcake lovers everywhere rejoice!
I read this to two storytime groups, ranging from about 2 years to 6. They were only mildly interested in the opening, with the different kinds of cupcakes and candles, but they went CRAZY over the silly toppings. The second group was rolling on the floor and giggling
Verdict: Light and fluffy, the perfect cupcake. This is a fresh and sweet take on the "be yourself" cliche. You don't have anything like this in your picture book collection - add it!
ISBN: 9781423118978; Published January 2010 by Hyperion; Borrowed from the library
5 comments:
I had mixed feelings when I read this one. It’s really interesting to hear how children reacted. Gives me a new perspective. Thanks for posting.
Melissa
Small Books 4 Big World
http://mnoeth.typepad.com
Yeah, I'm not a big Harper fan, so I wasn't initially enthusiastic about it. But the kids really went for the second half - it worked best when I read the first half very quickly and left out the extraneous speech bubbles. I gave it to my colleague to try on the toddlers, but I don't know how that went. I think older kids might like it even better, I'll probably try it on 3rd graders when they come this fall.
I don't do picture books, but I'm going to read this one.
Oh yeah, it has a kind of surreal quality...and then the squirrel shows up! and the nuts! and the pickle! very weird and funny.
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