Customer Reviews

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As the adoptive mom of a six year old adopted from China almost five years ago, I have been looking for a book to share with my daughter that could evoke the feelings we have about her special place in our lives. This comes very close. The story of this adoption journey to China rings true -- it is based on the author's own experience. Lewis' text is loving and joyful --tinged with the longing and sadness that is often part of adoptions. An essential element of this book and one that I especially appreciate is the author's mention of her feelings for her daughter's Chinese mother. We have read and re-read "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" at our house and it has sparked very necessary and important discussions with our daughter. Dyer's lovely watercolor illustrations are charming --and add to the warm loving tone of the story - it's just wonderful!

"I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" became an instant favorite in our house from the moment we opened it. My 6-year-old daughter, adopted from China, has not expressed a lot of interest in hearing her adoption story-- until we brought home this book. The sweet story and delightful illustrations have made it easier for her to understand her story and we read it together several times a week. It's also a great book to peruse by myself when I want to reflect on the experience of adopting from China. I highly recommend this book!

One of my favorite roles as a parent is introducing my children to families of many types. In "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes", my children can understand that sometimes Mommys and Babies become a family by being united via airplanes and adoption officials and guess what? The amazing love is the same.

I especially loved that the author shared the gratitude and love for the "other" mother who provided the gift of this baby into her life. Beautifully stated and at times, overlooked.

The illustrations must be mentioned also: they are stunningly beautiful with the emotions of the subjects literally entering my heart from the page.

Rose Lewis opens a window to her heart that makes this book a universal story for anyone who has known a special love. She has accomplished what might seem impossible. It is not only a children's story, but an intensely personal journey that will resonate for anyone of any age who has experienced the magic of falling in love. As you read this to your children, you will think back to the moment when you first held them in your arms, looked into their eyes and forged a life-long bond. At its end you will understand the pure simplicity of true love. The book's illustrations, by Jane Dyer, alone make it worth buying. Its text will bring tears to your eye and warmth to your heart.

I am just now beginning the long process of adopting a child from abroad. It will most likely take 1-2 years, and this book will help keep me going when I lose faith.

It is a treasure of a book both for people considering international adoption, and also for those looking at domestic adoption as well. A simple and touching story that tells about the joy all parents feel when meeting their children for the first time...be it through birth or adoption.

This was a truly heartwarming story. Short and easy to read, it's destined to become a bedtime classic.

The illustrations are lovely and dreamy...as a storybook should be.

All in all, a excellent excellent book.

The first few times I read this book, I could not finish it without crying. As a single mother of an adopted daughter from China, this is our story too. Lewis tells the story of a single woman in search of a baby to love in a simple, picturesque way. Charming enough for young readers (like my 2 year old daughter) and eloquent enough for all ages. A great gift to give to anyone who adopted a daughter from China or to share with your kids who are curious about your friend's Chinese daughter.

We've told my 3-year-old daughter her adoption story several times, but it has never been as clear to her as when we read her this book. Even though she is adopted from Russia, the process and sentiments translated perfectly. She now begs to hear this book before bed, then asks me to tell her about her own adoption story. We are so happy to have this book!

As is made clear in the dedication to her daughter Alexandra Mae-Ming Lewis this is Rose Lewis' own story and every word rings true. Beginning, "Once upon a time in China there was a baby girl who lived in a big room with lots of other babies." Rose Lewis writes a love letter to her newly adopted child. She tells the story of how two people in need came together to help each other. She assures her daughter that while in China though she was well cared for and that she had friends, she needed a mother. For her sake Rose, who was in America, "also had many friends [she] was missing something too-a baby." Rose wrote to "officials in China and asked if [she] could adopt one the babies who lived in the big room. "At each step in the process Rose Lewis makes clear that her daughter was valued by all parties and that their happy ending as a family was the result of everyone wishing the best for her daughter. Finally Rose Lewis ends their story telling her daughter that the first time they were alone together in their American home Rose cried, "for your Chinese mother, who could not keep you. I wanted her to know that we would always remember her. And I hoped somehow she knew you were safe and happy in the world. Jane Dyer's realistic watercolor illustrations perfectly complement the text. I have no doubt this will be read to babies though the text is appropriate for readers from five-to-eight.

"I Love You Like Crazy Cakes," is such an enchanting tale of an adoptive mother's true love for her baby. As an adopted child myself, I picked the book up ... and was all teary by the end! That is powerful writing. My best friends just adopted a child from Asia, and THEY WILL BE RECEIVING THIS BOOK...ASAP! Through Rose's writing, you will understand the true meaning of adoption and the strong bond adoptive parents feel immediately with their children! I am so thankful for the writings of adopted children and their adoptive parents. It is amazing how much these stories mean to the children who need them. Thank you!

My daughter is from Russia, but she knows this story by heart. She can tell me exactly what that baby was missing: a Mama! Sara knows that this is her story too, just a slightly different place. This book has meant a lot to everybody who has read it, both adoptive and non-adoptive families. It is perfect for children of single-parent families, especially if they have a child from a foreign country. I especially love the part where the mother speaks of her baby's birth-mother with such love. That is exactly how I feel.