Bunny Cakes (Max and Ruby) [Hardcover]

Rosemary Wells (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Max and Ruby

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. This is a problem-solving birthday story about the cakes Max and Ruby make for Grandma and how Max draws the grocery list because he can't write.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It's kitchen chaos when Max and Ruby become bunnies who each bake a cake for Grandma's birthday. When it comes to the interplay between pared-down text and eventful illustrations, Wells, quite simply, takes the cake," said PW in a starred review. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1. Undaunted Max and bossy Ruby, rabbit siblings, make the perfect cakes for grandmother's birthday. A confectionary delight, with layers of laughter.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1St Edition edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670886866
• ISBN-13: 978-0670886869
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of a determined pre-literate bunny in plaid pants., August 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bunny Cakes (Max and Ruby) (Hardcover)

I happened upon "Bunny Cakes" by accident about a week ago. I picked it up and read it just to pass a few idle moments, but I ended up laughing out loud, and I've chuckled about it every day since. I was unfamiliar with Max and Ruby before I saw the book, but they have instantly become two of my favorite children's book characters (Max especially). "Bunny Cakes" accurately depicts the rivalry between a bossy (but patient) older sister, and a younger brother who's determined to make a statement in the world that he's just beginning to comprehend. Clad in a sharp pair of plaid overalls, Max makes repeated trips to the grocer (red wagon in tow) to make up for his unwitting disruptions of Ruby's cake-making project, and to get the perfect ingredients for his own earthworm cake: red-hot marshmallow squirters. Although even his most beautiful handwriting is incomprehensible to the rest of the world, Max relies on his ingenuity to finally succeed in communi! cating with the grocer. The illustrations are adorable--especially those that depict the wide-eyed innocence on Max's face as he wordlessly stares up at the grocer, hoping the man will understand his scribbled request for red-hot marshmallow squirters. But don't be fooled by Max's innocent look. He's one determined bunny. He gets what he needs and he makes sure Ruby doesn't steal the spotlight at grandma's birthday party.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful from beginning to end, July 12, 2006

By 

debrajrj (South Dakota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bunny Cakes (Max & Ruby) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a parent, this may very well be my favorite bedtime story. Don't judge the book based on the TV show-- it is much better! Max and Ruby are making birthday cakes for Grandma. Max is making an earthworm cake but Ruby wants to make an angel surprise cake with rasbery fluff frosting. Despite Ruby's increasingly restrictive instructions, Max keeps knocking her ingredients off the table, and Ruby keeps sending him to the store with a shopping list for replacements. Max wants red hot marshmellow squirters to top off his cake, and his attempts to communicate this to the grocer make up the heart of the story.

The illustrations are delightful and are cleverly incorporated as part of the story. My 3 year old loves this book, and believe it or not he gets tired of it before I do!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Max as always finds a way to get what he wants-a great book!, July 31, 2000

By 

Suzanne Amara (MA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bunny Cakes (Max and Ruby) (Hardcover)

The charm of the Max and Ruby books owes much to the fact that many of us have had an older sibling or friend like Ruby---she knows more, is able to do more and wants to be in charge, but Max always finds a way to get what he wants! This book also explores the mystery of writing, and made my older son eager to learn to write---and I think writing is a topic less stressed in picture books than reading. Everyone should have a grandma like Max and Ruby, someone who will love both edible and inedible cakes equally! As always, Wells is wonderful!