The Birthday Queen by Audrey Wood (review)

In the Birthday Palace, the Birthday Queen handles with aplomb all arrangements for birthday parties. She tests party games, auditions clowns, wraps gifts, decorates, and even bakes the birthday cake of your dreams. Nothing fazes her, it would seem, and when, post-birthday wish, you open your eyes and look at her, “she smiles, and when she does … she looks just like your mother.” This is a warm-hearted tribute to mothers who throw themselves into party-planning for their offspring, and scenes of white doves bearing birthday invitations and the Birthday Queen getting ready to whack a piñata are entertaining. There’s about as much substance to this, though, as there is to the birthday cake’s whipped buttercream frosting, and the gaudy and busy art detracts from the enjoyment of the story. The overly intense faces, particularly of the Birthday Queen and the clowns, are often unfortunately unattractive, if not downright creepy. However, the bright colors and festive text may suit a party at which the youthful audience is already sugared up on cake, ice cream, and soda, and the Pinteresting moms who obsess over favors and decorations will likely appreciate the acknowledgement.