Baking Day at Grandma's

by Anika Denise, Christopher Denise (Illustrator)

Overview

A Christmas-cookie sweet story perfect for families to share!
 
Three bouncing little bear siblings, wrapped tight in their winter clothes, can't wait to tromp through the snow for Baking Day at Grandma's! In a rhyming text that begs to be sung, the bears and their grandma pour and mix and stir—with breaks for hot cocoa and dancing—to create the perfect wintry treat. Then they wrap it up as gifts in ribbons to show that sweets are even better when they're shared. With a recipe in the back, this is a perfect family feel-good story for the fall, winter, and any holiday spent with grandparents.


Praise for BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S:

"This gentle story will leave children feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time."—School Library Journal

"A rollicking, rhyming salute to the grandmother-grandchild bond."—Kirkus Reviews

"Three vivacious bears spend a pleasant and productive day with their grandmother in this warm tale."—Publishers Weekly
  
"[W]arm and cuddly and brimming with character..."—BCCB

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399171574
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/30/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	504,805
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 5.90(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Anika Denise is the author of Pigs Love Potatoes and Bella and Stella Come Home, both of which were illustrated by her husband, Christopher Denise. The Denises live with their three children—and pet frog—in Barrington, Rhode Island. www.anikadenise.com

Christopher Denise is New York Times bestselling and award-winning children's book artist. He has illustrated more than twenty titles for young readers, including the acclaimed Redwall picture book series by Brian Jacques. www.christopherdenise.com

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S:

"This gentle story will leave children feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time."—School Library Journal

"A rollicking, rhyming salute to the grandmother-grandchild bond."—Kirkus Reviews

"Three vivacious bears spend a pleasant and productive day with their grandmother in this warm tale."—Publishers Weekly
  
"[W]arm and cuddly and brimming with character..."—BCCB

Editorial Reviews

Praise for BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S:

"This gentle story will leave children feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time."—School Library Journal

"A rollicking, rhyming salute to the grandmother-grandchild bond."—Kirkus Reviews

"Three vivacious bears spend a pleasant and productive day with their grandmother in this warm tale."—Publishers Weekly
  
"[W]arm and cuddly and brimming with character..."—BCCB

From the Publisher

08/04/2014
Three vivacious bears spend a pleasant and productive day with their grandmother in this warm tale from the husband-and-wife collaborators behind Bella and Stella Come Home and Pigs Love Potatoes. Anika Denise's impressionistic couplets invoke the sounds, sights, and smells of the siblings' visit. After making their way through the snow, the bears arrive at an inviting cottage: "Knock-knock-knock on Grandma's door./ Hear her pad across the floor./ Plant a kiss on Grandma's nose,/ cozy fire, warming toes." Donning aprons, they mix batter then kick up their heels ("Old-time music, soft and sweet./ Skippy notes and tapping feet") while the cake bakes, joyfully chanting the story's refrain: "It's baking day!/ It's baking day!/ It's baking day at Grandma's!" Christopher Denise's digital artwork glows with light—of the sun, the fireplace, and finally the moon—and radiates the bears' energy as well as their affection for Grandma. In an unexpected and sweet turn, the young bakers wrap up slices of cake in gift boxes to share, rather than sampling it themselves. A chocolate cake recipe is included. Ages 3–5. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2014
PreS-Gr 1—Three little bears head through the snow to Grandma's. There, they bake, dance, drink hot chocolate, package up their baked goodies, and then head home, but the story is really about more than that. Grandma's love is nearly a tangible thing as reflected in the painterly illustrations, with their warm colors and cozy setting, and the images convey the sheer pleasure she feels in the company of her grandchildren. The cubs are clearly smitten with their grandmother, who towers over them kindheartedly, and with the tradition of baking day. This is no cloying treacle of nostalgia. Instead, the authenticity of the characters shines in a natural and enjoyable way. The text is a wonderful rhyming poem/song with the refrain, "It's baking day!/It's baking day!/It's baking day/at Grandma's!" And it's such fun to read aloud. "Old-time music, soft and sweet./Skippy notes and tapping feet./Learning songs that Grandma sings—/when the kitchen timer rings!" A recipe for Grandma Rosie's Chocolate Cake is included. This gentle story will leave children feeling warm and fuzzy. It's perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

School Library Journal

2014-06-18
A rollicking, rhyming salute to the grandmother-grandchild bond.Three independent, bundled-up young bears set off across the snow and past the pond for Grandma's cottage, all smiles, as "It's baking day at Grandma's!" Everything at Grandma's house—from the fire and old-fashioned stove and Victrola to her pink shawl and the woodsy cabin decor—points to coziness and love, and the ursine facial expressions reflect that. Though the adding of ingredients isn't shown, Grandma's role in the baking of the cake is limited to reading the recipe, and she even has aprons for each of the grandkids (though in one spread, they are inexplicably missing). While the cake is baking, there's hot chocolate to drink and frosty windows to draw on. "Old-time music, soft and sweet, / Skippy notes and tapping feet. / Learning songs that Grandma sings— / When the kitchen timer rings!" But this cake isn't for eating; the siblings carefully decorate and wrap each piece as gifts. As darkness falls, the children bundle back up, share more hugs with Grandma and are off under the full moon for home, basket full of treats in their sled. Christopher Denise's Photoshop illustrations are a mix of cartoony characters (though they are more real-looking than most anthropomorphized bears) and realistic settings, especially the snowy winter scenes between home and Grandma's.Just in time for Grandparents' Day. (recipe) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews