Bagel in Love

by Natasha Wing, Helen Dardik (Illustrator)

Overview

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Poor Bagel! He dreams of entering the Cherry Jubilee dance contest . . . but no one wants to be his partner! Can he find a sweet-tart who doesn’t think his steps are half-baked?
Bagel loved to dance. It made him happier than a birthday cake! And more than anything, he wants a partner who will spin and swirl, tap and twirl with him in the dance contest. But Pretzel sniffs that he doesn’t cut the mustard, Croissant thinks his moves are stale, and Doughnut’s eyes just glaze over. Can a cute cupcake save the day for our would-be Fred Éclair? Witty and pun-filled, this picture book really takes the cake.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454922391
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	490,083
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Natasha Wing is best known for her paperback series based on the popular poem “The Night Before Christmas.” Her titles include The Night Before Easter, the original book in the series, and The Night Before Kindergarten, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies and has regularly appeared on bestseller lists since its publication in 2001 (Grosset & Dunlap). Wing’s book Jalapeño Bagels (Atheneum) is a favorite among elementary school teachers and students—now in its 23rd printing, it features a mixed Jewish and Mexican family. An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers (Holt) tells the story of one of her neighbors when she was growing up in CT; it was an ALA Notable, a Junior Library Guild selection, a California Reading Association’s Eureka! Honor Book Award, and a 2012 Grand Canyon Reader nominee, and has been translated into Chinese. Natasha lives in Fort Collins, CO, with her husband, Dan, and cat, Purrsia. Learn more about Natasha at natashawing.com.
 
Helen Dardik lived many interesting places—including Ukraine, Siberia, and Israel—before moving to Canada, where she lives now with her husband and their three daughters. She illustrates for a large number of clients, including American Girl, the Boston Globe, HarperCollins, Klutz, Parents Magazine, and Penguin UK. When she’s not making her intricate digital illustrations, she makes plush toys, paints with oils, and rearranges furniture. Learn more about her at orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com and follow her on Instagram and Twitter@helen_dardik.

Editorial Reviews

Are you a fan of baking puns? Tap-dancing bagels? Oodles of fun? Then this is the book for you! When a ‘tap tap tippity tap’ dancing bagel in suspenders, a polka-dotted bow tie, and a Charlie Chaplin hat and cane needs a partner for the Cherry Jubilee Dance Contest, he asks every pastry he passes. No one’s impressed by his moves, however, and he receives a string of rejections, including a croissant who deems his dancing ‘totally stale.’ Though Bagel can’t help but feel ‘dumped like yesterday’s rolls,’ he carries on, until his delectable tapping catches the attention of a receptive cupcake, who ‘blushes red velvet’ from his fancy footwork. Dardik’s vibrant artwork, full of animated, anthropomorphic baked goods in bold colors and shapes, complement the comical text. Bagel is particularly expressive, from his frustration with his search for a dance partner to the pizzazz he brings to his dancing to the adoration he feels for Cupcake, who’s his perfect match. Humorous, lighthearted fare with a heartening ending and chuckle-worthy jokes.” —Booklist

“A romance for carb (and pun!) lovers who dance to their own drummers and don't give up on their dreams.” –Kirkus Reviews
 

From the Publisher

2017-09-18
A romance for carb (and pun!) lovers who dance to their own drummers and don't give up on their dreams.Bagel is a guy who loves to dance; when he's tapping and twirling, he doesn't feel plain. The problem is, he can't find a partner for the Cherry Jubilee Dance Contest. Poppy says his steps are half-baked. Pretzel, "who was at the spa getting a salt rub…told him his moves didn't cut the mustard." He strikes out in Sweet City, too, with Croissant, Doughnut, and Cake. But just when he's given up, he hears the music from the contest and can't help moving his feet. And an echoing tap comes back to him. Could it be a partner at last? Yep, and she just happens to smell sweet and have frosting piled high. Bagel and Cupcake crush the contest, but winning the trophy? That "was just icing on the cake," as the final sentence reads, the two standing proudly with a blue ribbon and trophy, hearts filling the space above and between them. Dardik's digital illustrations are pastel confections. Sometimes just the characters' heads are the treats, and other times the whole body is the foodstuff, with tiny arms and legs added on. Even the buildings are like something from "Hansel and Gretel." However, this pun-filled narrative is just one of many of its ilk, good for a few yuks but without much staying power.In contrast to the carbs and desserts pictured, though sweet, this is unlikely to stick with readers. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews