Customer Reviews

The Cake Thief

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are some books that are simply fun to read. This is one of them. There are some books that are a joy to simply look at. This is one of them. Actually, I was unable to find anything what-so-ever to dislike about this particular work. It has just about everything that a good children's book should have.

This is a story about a strange little kid, Clarence, who lived in a house with a purple door, in the mountains near a town. Simply put, Clarence was a cake thief. He would slip from his home; go to the village and steal cakes, all kinds of cakes, the prettier the better. Now I do not want to add any spoilers here, so I will not go into detail how this one ends. Suffice to say that Clarence, the strange little boy who loved stealing cakes, learns that making the cakes himself and sharing those cakes is much more rewarding that stealing those made by others.

The story line in this small book is easy to follow and the text matches the art work perfectly. There are no periods of slowing down and the story line keeps moving right along. I love lines such as:

"But Clarence did not know how to bake a cake or make frosting or turn on the oven. So he went home and began to fret. He fretted in the bedroom. He fretted in the living room. He fretted in the dinning room, and finally he fretted in the kitchen."

Lines such as this sort of roll off the tongue and if read correctly, can get the little ones to giggling quite quickly.

Now as to the art work. Ms. Lee certainly has her fair share of talent and then some. The art is lively, it is extremely colorful and it is calming and mellow. It is the type of art that a small child can look at and say to themselves, "I can do that!" And what is even more important, they, the child, will actually try to reproduce it. This is good. On the other hand, the work here by Ms Lee is quite well done. The composition and color blends actually take great skill. If you don't believe me, try it yourself with some pastels, oils or chalk or even water colors. It is not easy! This type of painting, that which can motivate the child yet is a challenge to an adult, is a wonderful skill. Wish I had it.

Recommend this one highly for the young reader. I do hope we see more of this author's work in the future.

The Cake Thief is a short but very special book for young children written by Sally O. Lee. The illustrations are especially beautiful; they are sure to catch the eyes of many a child and even the adults reading the book to their kids. The words are mostly appropriate for kids in the four to seven year old range but I agree with the reviewer who notes that a couple of words like "peculiar" may be difficult for this age group. Words that are too difficult in the text could lessen the child's enjoyment of the story and make the moral of the story just a bit harder to teach.

The story begins with the reader being introduced to Clarence, a young boy who doesn't talk to anybody; he just likes to steal cakes that other people in his town have made. He even steals them from their homes when he thinks nobody is looking! Clarence eventually finds out that everyone knew he was "the cake thief;" but before this happens he must solve a problem. Clarence tries to steal a cake one day--but in place of a cake on someone's cake dish there's an invitation to a party. All Clarence has to do is bring a cake.

Of course, Clarence knows he can't bring a cake that he stole--he hasn't yet realized that they know he's the actual cake thief. Therefore, Clarence learns to bake a cake. He realizes that he doesn't need to steal other people's cakes anymore--now he can make his own. When he arrives at the party with his own cake, the townspeople cheer him and welcome him with kindness and compassion. Clarence learns that he can be independent; he doesn't have to hide behind a mask when he steals cakes; and he can be liked and appreciated for who he is by the others in the town. What a great lesson to teach kids about the importance of kindness and compassion to people who have problems or who are just not as fortunate as they are!

Again I must make mention of the beautiful illustrations. They truly look like very painstakingly crafted paintings and I love every one of these pictures. This book is a keeper for me!

I highly recommend this children's book primarily for young children between the ages of four and seven. They learn the importance of not stealing, being self-reliant, being welcomed into the community as a reward for appropriate behavior, and the value of being your own self without having to hide when you know you're not doing the right thing by other people.

Thank you, Sally O. Lee!

Clarence is a thief. However, Clarence steals but one thing, cakes. Large cakes, small cakes, short cakes, and tall cakes are all Clarence's targets. Though Clarence's desire for cakes takes him to many homes, he never speaks to anyone, though no one knows why.

One day, Clarence gets an invitation to a party. The only requirement of the invitation is that Clarence must bring a cake. Of course, Clarence knows that he cannot bring one of the cakes that he stole. What Clarence does not know is that everyone in town knows that Clarence is the cake thief.

What is Clarence to do? Will Clarence go to the party? What will happen if Clarence goes to the party? The answers to these questions and more await the reader!

This story is very cute and would be a wonderful story to read to children ages 3 and up. This book is also a good book for children just beyond beginning readers. The book is in an oversized format friendly to young hands.

Sally O. Lee illustrated this story as well as being the author. The colors are bold and the pictures are slightly impressionistic. The pictures remind me of pictures from books I read when I was a child, many decades ago, which means that I think these pictures have a classic, timeless feel to them.

This story has a nice moral to it told in a clever way that makes this book easy to read and enjoy. I recommend this book for all children, either as a book for reading to someone, or as a book for a child advancing beyond beginning reading skills.

Enjoy!

Note: The author provided a copy of her book for this review.

I liked this book. I thought the story was pretty good. And I thought the illustrations matched up pretty good with the text part of the book. I got something of a message from reading the book: find joy by giving and don't steal.

I'm pretty sure young children will enjoy having this book read to them. And the illustrations are colorful and help the reader get a better picture of what is going on. Kids typically love cake. At least I did when I was a kid. I still do. So when I finished the book I went to the store and got a cake.

I would have liked the book better if I had been told closer to the start of the story that everyone in town knew whom the cake thief was. I found it strange that I found out this fact late in the book. Also, the cover of the book made it look like a child in elementary school had designed it. The cover just wasn't polished enough for my liking. I'm impressed that the author is also the illustrator, though. That doesn't seem to be all that usual in childrens books. 4 stars!

The Cake Thief by Sally Lee is an absolutely charming book about a young boy named Clarence who loves stealing cakes. He sneaks through his whole town swiping cakes left and right, until the day he finds a note in place of a cake inviting him to a party, but there's a catch: he must bring a cake he's made on his own. The artwork is bright and surreal, working perfectly with the theme of brightly frosted cakes. The words are easy to read and repititious in just the right way. My five-year old daughter was able to recognize cake, bake, and make by the end of the book and join in the reading. Clarence learns that cakes taste best when shared with others; the lesson is gentle, not preachy. This is a book that we will read again and again.

Sally O. Lee's "The Cake Thief" is a gorgeously illustrated book about a strange little boy named Clarence who is something of a loner and misfit. He finds an outlet in stealing all types of cakes (large and small, simple and lavishly decorated, with or without candles) from his neighbors. Only when he learns to give instead of taking does Clarence discover the joy of creating and sharing what he has made.

The strength of this beautiful picture book lies in its lush and resplendent paintings. They capture the eye with their vivid yellows, purples, oranges, and pinks that contrast nicely with the muted greens and blues. The artist's strong lines and visible brush strokes add texture and a three-dimensional quality to the sumptuous artwork.

The story, however, is a bit simplistic. Clarence, the cake thief, reforms after being asked to attend a party for which he laboriously prepares his own cake. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the book to indicate that Clarence has learned that stealing is wrong and why. An invitation by an anonymous neighbor is all the impetus that Clarence needs to enlist his cat, Evelyn, in a baking project. The book would have been more meaningful for young children if Clarence had interacted directly with a kind friend who tried to show him that there are more productive and satisfying ways of fitting into society.

The Cake Thief is a charming picture book written and illustrated by Sally O. Lee.

Clarence, who lives in a small house with a purple door, is anti-social and no one quite knows why. He also likes to steal cakes of every size, shape, flavour, and colour. This goes on for quite some time until the day when he finds under the cake cover not a cake, but a mysterious invitation addressed to The Cake Thief. He is invited to a party, and only has to bring a cake.

Clarence doesn't realize that everyone in town, including his cat, knows that he is the cake thief. He does know that he can't steal a cake to take to a party. What shall he do?

Clarence's dilemma is solved through some hard work, and he learns a few things that help him find different ways to handle things.

The story is simple and sweet, and the vividly coloured illustrations are delightful. There is a softness and sweetness to them that the reader will find very endearing.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. Kids will love it for the story and the illustrations.

The Cake Thief is a story about a boy named Clarence who didn't have any friends. He didn't talk to any of the villagers, he just kept to himself. Clarence loves cakes and the villagers must love to bake them because everyday Clarence goes around and steals a cake from somebody.

This is the way he spends his time until the day he tries to steal a cake from a cake plate - and there's no cake there to steal. Instead, there is an empty plate with only a card that is addressed to "The Cake Thief". Clarence opens the card and learns he has been invited to a party. The only thing he has to bring to the party is a cake.

What a surprise! Clarence is excited to be invited to a party, but he has a problem: He knows he can't take one of the cakes he has stolen so he knows he has to bake one himself. But, he doesn't know how to bake a cake. He worries and frets until he sees a cookbook on his shelf. Opening it, he finds a recipe for a cake. He must be a smart lad because he figures out how to bake the cake without anyone teaching him how to follow a recipe. Somehow he manages to bake a beautiful, perfect cake.

He takes the cake to the party where everyone laughs and cheers and sings songs - and eats his cake. Now he no longer has to steal cakes from people in the village.

Maybe it's because I'm an adult, but I'm a little dissatisfied with the story line. There are several things left unexplained. For instance, no one explains why Clarence steals cakes. Does he steal them because he likes them so much but can't bake them himself? Why can't he just buy one? And, why does he live by himself in the first place?

I think the story would have been better and stronger if Clarence had had some trouble making his first cake. He should have had to learn through trial-and-error, or else his very first cake, that he makes all by himself, shouldn't be perfect. It should be okay and everyone should enjoy it, but it shouldn't be "the most beautiful cake ever" as the story says.

"The Cake Thief" was published by Book Surge, a company that helps people who want to self-publish their books. Although a self-publishing company will print just about any type of book you want to write, that doesn't mean the book is a good one, or that is should be printed. Because of the faults in the story line, "The Cake Thief" would probably not have been published by a regular children's book publisher the way it it written. It has only been published because the author paid someone to publish it for her (Normally, the publisher pays the author for the privilege of printing the author's story.).

Having said that, children will like this book. They will enjoy the fact that Clarence learns how to bake a cake by himself and they will also be happy to learn he has made friends at the party. For the most part, the language in the story is simple and easy for a child to understand. And, the story teaches a lesson that cakes taste better when they're shared with friends. 4 stars.

Clarence was the town recluse. He lived to sneak around town and rid unsuspecting bakers for their brilliantly decorated cakes. Until one day while lifting the cake cover he found a party invitation instead of a cake. After reading the invitation, he fretted over making a cake and attending the party. But he faced his fears, baked a cake, attended the party and made new friends.

Lee has written this book not only to tell a story but to share her remarkable paintings with the public. This 30-page storybook is for kids of all ages but especially delightful for kids 5-8. The book teaches about kindness, compassion and forgiveness for troubled Clarence and the town helps him to turn his life around. THE CAKE THIEF is a wonderful book for parents and kids to read together.

I read the book to my girls and afterwards we found a cake recipe, spent a couple hours baking and decorating a 4-tier cake, licking the bowl, and sharing memories of their ancestors. This is what the girls said about the book - "We loved the pictures of cakes. Clarence taught himself how to make a cake and shared it with the neighbors. He was sneaky but the people taught him to love". The gift of a good book is a teaching moment...THE CAKE THIEF definitely has that.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

This is a fun picture book about a boy named Clarence who didn't know how to make friends. Clarence lives in a village, but he keeps to himself. He doesn't like to talk to the other people who lived in the village. No one knows why the young boy keeps to himself expect Clarence. The reason maybe because Clarence prefers to sneak into their houses and steal their cakes! Clarence loves cake, but he doesn't know how to make one. So every day he sneaks into someone's house and takes the cake under the Cake Cover. That is until one day instead of a cake . . . Clarence finds a note to the "Cake Thief".

The story is accompanied by vivid and colorful illustrations done by Sally O'Lee. Her story comes alive on each page as the reader learns that it's better to have friends than to be alone. Children will delight as Clarence learns to bake a cake and make friends at the party the "Cake Thief" is invited to. They will cheer when Clarence gives up being the "Cake Thief" now that he has friends.