Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Great Cake: A Touch-and-Learn Book
Illustrator: Andy Bennett
Novelty Book
For ages 3 to 5
Brighter Minds Media, 2006 ISBN: 978-1577912606
Today it is Oppenheimer’s birthday and Rico and Yao want to make him a surprise birthday cake. Better still all of Oppenheimer’s friends want to help. So the two little dogs get out a cookbook to see what they are going to need to make a cake.
The dogs begin the process with one cup of sugar in a bowl. Next Hideki the frog adds two cups of flour. Jules the rabbit contributes three eggs and Abby the cat brings over four ounces of buttermilk to add to the mix. And so it goes on with each of Oppenheimer’s friends adding something to the cake mixture until the perfect cake is made.
This unique board book will not only help children practice and familiarize themselves with numbers. The story itself also has something to offer as it describes the way in which friends come together to create something special for someone they care about. Cut out dots and numbers can be found on every page. Children can explore these with their fingers and they can also trace the cut outs using paper and pencils. In addition, at the back of the book, the author offers up more ideas on how grownups can “bring numbers and counting into” a child’s world.
