Tyler Makes a Birthday Cake!

PreS-Gr 2—Having made pancakes and then spaghetti, Tyler and his dog are now ready to make a cake for Tofu's special day—but dogs can't eat cake. When the baker who is helping Tyler reminds him that cake for humans is too rich for canines, Tyler is discouraged, but the man comes up with a wonderful substitute: a special cake just for Tofu. The book ends with recipes for two cakes: a carrot cake for humans and a cake with appropriate ingredients for dogs that is shaped like a bone for Tofu. As in the previous two books, Tyler learns where the ingredients come from, as text and illustrations imagine him going with the baker to gather everything and then describe the steps needed to mix all of them together to produce the cake. The large pictures are done with pen and ink, and the digitally colored characters, outlined in blue, are easy to see, making this a book that could be used in storytime along with an actual cake-making project or at home with an adult. Combining a story and a cooking lesson is a novel approach, and it works well for this author and Food Network chef.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA