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  • I Love Cake!: Starring Rabbit, Porcupine, and Moose by Tammi Sauer
  • Jeannette Hulick
Sauer, Tammi I Love Cake!: Starring Rabbit, Porcupine, and Moose; illus. by Angie Rozelaar. Tegen/HarperCollins, 2016 34p
ISBN 978-0-06-227894-4 $17.99 R 5-7 yrs

Rabbit invites best buds Porcupine and Moose to her birthday party for fun, games, and—Moose’s favorite—cake. While Rabbit and Porcupine play a rousing game of “Pin the Tail on the Chipmunk,” Moose slips out of view; when Rabbit and Porcupine head for refreshments they find, suspiciously, both Moose and the cake missing. Moose, when discovered, has telltale crumbs and cake breath, so he fesses up, first rationalizing his gluttony (“Is it my fault my mouth’s so big that the whole cake kind of fell right in?”) and finally apologizing. His pals are still mad, though, and it’s not until Moose bakes and brings them a replacement cake that the three make up and Moose realizes that you can have your cake and eat it, too—as long as you share with your friends. Sauer skillfully incorporates a bit of pattern and repetition into the text to add structure, and that foundation mixed with the humor and the kid-friendly conflict are blended into a sweet little snack of a story. Moose’s goofy jokes, crazy patterned sweater, and page-long bluster about his guilt make him the comical center, and kids will giggle at him even as they sympathize with both Moose’s cake-lust and Rabbit’s disappointment and anger. Rozelaar’s warm, painterly illustrations (created with a brush, India ink, and Photoshop) emphasize both the comedy of the text and the cuteness of the pop-eyed critters. The animals’ milieu is a cozy one, with red-capped mushrooms and birch trees punctuating the landscape, while vases of flowers, subtly patterned wallpaper and a multihued stand mixer enhance the interiors. Share this with any number of cake- or critter-themed titles or, better yet, serve it up with a slice of something sweet.

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