Published: 2022
Series: This is a…
Author: Andrew Cangelose
Illustrator: Josh Shipley
Genres: Fable Retelling, Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Food, Animals, History
Audience (Grade Levels): PreK-3rd Grade
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: This Is a Birthday Cake!
Triggers: None
Review By: Heather Turner
Publisher’s Summary
Fan-favorite characters from This Is a Taco are back in this hilarious picture book tale of the ultimate birthday cake disaster!
It’s Taco the squirrel’s birthday, and all of his little animal friends are planning a big surprise for him—they’re going to make him a birthday cake! The only problem with their plan is that none of them know how to make a cake. So, as this sassy crew of critters is known to do, they set out to learn all they can about birthday cakes and how to make one, with spectacularly disastrous and delightful results.
Review
This Is a Birthday Cake! by Andrew Cangelose, beautifully illustrated by Josh Shipley, is a fantastic picture book geared toward elementary school students from PreK through 3rd grade. The story serves as a hilarious, modern reimagining of Aesop’s classic fable The Tortoise and the Hare, cleverly reframing the traditional footrace into a high-stakes baking lesson. The narrative centers on a well-intentioned tortoise trying to teach an overly enthusiastic hare how to bake a spectacular birthday cake for their friend, Taco the squirrel. They plan to share this delicious creation with all their friends as soon as it emerges completed from the oven. However, the core conflict arises because the hare is in such an incredible hurry to finish that he assumes speed is everything. To the hare, taking time to carefully measure ingredients, follow a recipe, or read instructions is far less important than crossing the baking finish line quickly. Naturally, this reckless rushing leads to a spectacularly chaotic and disastrous kitchen meltdown before the characters finally learn how to properly work together.
This is an exceptionally engaging book, and when read aloud to elementary students, the response is overwhelmingly positive—many immediately clamor to check it out for themselves, which is always the highest praise a library book can receive. The story is highly captivating, and the pacing moves at a brisk, comedic clip that holds young attention spans perfectly. Each animal character is thoughtfully developed with distinct personal quirks that instantly draw readers into the unfolds. I particularly appreciate how the author reframed the original fable to move away from a purely physical competition into an activity that is much more mental, cooperative, and domestic. This shift makes the underlying lesson feel significantly richer, deeper, and more relevant to a child’s everyday choices than a standard race.
Josh Shipley’s colorful, clever, and highly expressive illustrations contribute immensely to the overall mood and humor, offering wonderful visual context clues that help emerging readers track the chaos. The cover art is bright and instantly eye-catching, making it a natural draw for early childhood and primary grade children who love silly animal antics. The text seamlessly weaves the structural steps of a real cake recipe directly into the dialogue, providing an excellent educational layer. I highly recommend adding this delightful title to your elementary school library, public library juvenile shelf, or personal picture book collection.
Classroom & Curricular Connections
- ELA / Traditional Literature Retellings: This book serves as a perfect mentor text for a fable unit, allowing educators to analyze how classic themes from The Tortoise and the Hare can be modernized, recontextualized, and transformed into a completely different scenario while preserving the core moral.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): Connects beautifully to early childhood lessons on mindfulness, impulse control, listening skills, and patience. The text naturally prompts discussions about why it is essential to slow down, process all the facts, and follow instructions carefully before jumping headfirst into an activity.
- Math & Science / Sequential Execution: This story offers an excellent bridge to practical STEM/STEAM concepts, specifically demonstrating the real-world mathematical necessity of measuring ingredients precisely and following step-by-step procedures in science experiments or baking.
- Sequencing: Pair this book with an interactive sequential ordering activity during library storytime or classroom centers. After reading, students can work in small groups to arrange illustrated cards of the cake-baking process in the correct chronological order, or write/draw their own step-by-step instructions for a simple daily activity, practicing the transition words (“first,” “next,” “then,” “finally”) that the hare neglected to follow.
Diversity & Representation
The title thoughtfully supports behavioral and cognitive diversity by showcasing different learning styles, temperaments, and personalities working toward a collective goal. Rather than vilifying the hare’s high energy or the tortoise’s methodical nature, it celebrates how a community functions best when individuals learn to balance their innate traits, emphasizing mutual respect and collaborative problem-solving across differing personal speeds.
Readalikes
- This Is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose
- The Tortoise & the Hare by Jerry Pinkney
- Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
