Cake Vs. Pie

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Stephani Stilwell (Illustrator)

Overview

"Let's get ready to cruuuuumble!"

Join Cake and Pie in this fun-loving, laugh-out-loud picture book about the ultimate friendship rivalry and overcoming jealousy to realize being together is the Sweetest Thing. There can only be one favorite dessert...

Will it be Cake, the friend who rises to every occasion?

Or will Pie's surprisingly sweet center be the most irresistible?

There's only one way to settle this battle, once and for all: FOOD FIGHT!

Perfect for fans of The Bad Seed and Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358555605
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/27/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	406,813
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen has written many popular picture books, including Chicks Run Wild, Pirate Princess, Half-Pint Pete the Pirate, and Hampire. She lives in New Jersey with her three children, all of whom inspire her books. 

Steph Stilwell is a New York Times best-selling illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY. She loves puns, bright color palettes, hand-lettering, and is most often drawing food. Steph received her BFA in illustration from MICA and then spent several years in publishing as a children’s book designer—and is now using her publishing know-how to illustrate her own children’s books for clients. In addition to children’s books she has experience working on stationery, greeting cards, stickers, apparel, and more!

When she isn’t working on freelance you will likely find her scribbling in her sketchbook, binge-watching a cooking show, or hanging out with her dog Jake.

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2023

In zippy text and dialogue written almost entirely in food puns, Bardhan-Quallen (the Purrmaids series) serves up the tale of a deliciously silly rivalry between flavorful friends Cake and Pie, who each want to be deemed the sweetest dessert around. Universally adored Cake eagerly introduces new-treat-on-the-block Pie to everyone, only to learn that Pie really loves the limelight (“Yes, I know—I am quite a dish!”). After Pie is named Toast of the Town, makes an on-fire appearance at the Cherry Jubilee, and turns braggart, Cake, feeling crushed, declares a food fight to finally settle the matter of who’s top tier. A crack team—Brownie, Croissant, Cupcake, Danish, and Waffle—are in Cake’s corner as a black-and-white cookie referee calls “Leeeet’s get ready to cruuumble!” and the battle of the baked goods begins. The aftermath of a full-fledged food battle finds Cake and Pie patching things up and realizing that their friendship is the sweetest thing of all. Alongside the nonstop punning, Stilwell (A Pizza My Heart) renders an amusingly dizzying parade of bright, big-eyed anthropomorphic snacks cracking wise that play into a light friendship story about resolving conflict. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A sweet story with an important message that goes down easily.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Clever wordplay and detailed illustrations keep this animated tale moving along at a fast pace to delight readers with a scrumptious tale of friendship.” — School Library Journal

“The mixture of pun-filled text and speech bubbles, sprinkles of delightful descriptions, and curvy line work showcase a variety of each desserts’ best qualities and will have readers’ stomachs rumbling…A surprising twist encourages readers to come to the table and overcome salty debates with sweeter friendships.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Deliciously silly.” — Publishers Weekly

“A sweet and pun-filled story like this can be tough to beat for storytimes and read-alouds." — Booklist

From the Publisher

05/01/2023

PreS-Gr 2—All's well in the shop as everyone—croissants, cupcakes, brownies, caramel apples, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, doughnuts, etc.—gets along well with one other. However, once Pie moves in, everything changes for Cake who up to this point has been "top tier." The two are friends at first and Cake happily introduces Pie to everyone. Pie soaks up all the praise from her new acquaintances and it quickly goes to her head. She is soon convinced that "I am quite the dish" and a dejected Cake slinks away feeling as if she's "been desserted." The competition to be "flavor of the month" soon leads to a battle which involves all the sweets in the shop. Paper, ink, and digital combine in illustrations filled with detail, color, activity, and speech bubbles galore that burst with food puns and expressions. Due to the intricate details in the desserts and the ongoing conversations, this tale should be shared one-on-one so the pictures can be scrutinized. VERDICT Clever wordplay and detailed illustrations keep this animated tale moving along at a fast pace to delight readers with a scrumptious tale of friendship.—Maryann H. Owen

School Library Journal

2023-04-12
“Leeeet’s get ready to crumble!”

Cake is an amazing friend—“eggs-traordinary” and “one in a melon,” as the other foods put it. No one measures up to Cake. Until Pie moves in. Pie, a joker, is “warm and open” (literally—check out their lattice top crust). Cake and Pie become friends, and in no time everyone loves Pie, but Cake realizes that Pie craves attention. Soon Pie becomes the flavor of every month. Feeling “desserted,” Cake challenges Pie to a Food Fight. Before stepping into the ring with Pie, Cake asks Danish, Waffle, Brownie, and others for a makeover. They have lots of suggestions—maybe Cake should be Carrot Cake or Coffee Cake? In the end, Danish says, “Just be yourself,” and Cake agrees…though they decide to add a few layers and embellishments. But when Cake and Pie enter the ring, Cake’s tiers topple onto Pie. Soon another type of food fight ensues as the onlookers begin hurling whipped cream, sauce, and more at one another. Cake regrets their jealousy, and Pie admits they should have swallowed their pride. Together, they pick up the pieces and put things right. Bardhan-Quallen leans heavily on the food puns, but she also offers a sound lesson about compromise and the art of friendship. Stilwell’s delightfully expressive cartoons depict cookies, popsicles, strawberries, and more, all with round eyes and stick-figure limbs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet story with an important message that goes down easily. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews