Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Birthday Cake Mystery
Wordless Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Gecko Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1877579103
Someone is celebrating their birthday today, and Dog is busy making a birthday cake. Mrs. Pig has gone shopping and has bought some paint and a necklace. Mrs. Bunny gives some of the local children paper, paints, and brushes so that they can create some pictures. Perhaps she thinks that this activity will keep them busy and out of trouble. The scene is a peaceful one; and then things start to go wrong.
Dog’s first cake is ruined and he has to start working on another. Someone steals Mrs. Pig’s necklace right out of her bag. Two of the children start digging a hole instead of drawing, and another two start playing soccer. Their ball lands on Dog’s table and his second cake is ruined.
Mr. and Mrs. Pig try to find out who stole the necklace out of Mrs. Pig’s bag. Some footprints lead to Raccoon’s little house. Is he the thief? Is the birthday celebration ever going to take place?
For this special wordless picture book The Tjong-Khing has created wonderfully rich illustrations that contain several stories that children can follow. They will see a theft take place, and they will feel sorry for poor Dog, who works so hard to make a birthday cake and whose cakes keep getting destroyed. They can follow the doings of two chameleons, and they can try to figure out which of the animal children is having a birthday.
