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Baby Strawberry Shortcake
The Strawberryland Choo-Choo
When all Baby Strawberry's friends want to ride her new tricycle, she thinks of a clever way that they all can share it.
- GenresChildrens
40 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1984
14 people want to read
About the author
Linda Gondosch
14 books2 followers I was born in West Virginia, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. The neighborhood kids met on my front porch where we held The Triple S Club. One "S" stood for Sewing. One "S" was for Stamp collecting. Of course, the best "S" was for Story writing. We wrote anything we wanted and read our stories aloud. It was great practice for a future teacher/writer!
After my children were born, I spent happy times reading picture books to them. One day I thought, "I'm sure I can write a picture book myself." It turned out to be harder than I thought, but I kept at it after receiving an editor's letter stating "We are holding your story for possible future publication." I was hooked! I spent several years teaching in high school and college and substitute teaching in elementary school. Teaching was fun, but I always returned to writing. My second book, Who Needs a Bratty Brother? won the Kentucky Bluegrass Award, a children's choice.
If you write, do not give up. Write what you are passionate about and read as much as you can. If you read, you are a fortunate person indeed. You've got the world at your fingertips.
After my children were born, I spent happy times reading picture books to them. One day I thought, "I'm sure I can write a picture book myself." It turned out to be harder than I thought, but I kept at it after receiving an editor's letter stating "We are holding your story for possible future publication." I was hooked! I spent several years teaching in high school and college and substitute teaching in elementary school. Teaching was fun, but I always returned to writing. My second book, Who Needs a Bratty Brother? won the Kentucky Bluegrass Award, a children's choice.
If you write, do not give up. Write what you are passionate about and read as much as you can. If you read, you are a fortunate person indeed. You've got the world at your fingertips.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 3, 2026
Yet again, Strawberry is more special than all her friends, even as a baby. All her friends have wagons, and Strawberry is the only one with a tricycle, and a new one at that. She lets her friends borrow it, but just to do an errand for her.
As a kid, I loved Strawberry Shortcake, but as an adult I realized all those TV specials I recorded on Betamax tapes snd watched over and over were blatant attempts to advertise the toys. This book is likely both an appeal to toddlers, and a tie-in with some of the toys. I had a baby doll Strawberry Shortcake that blew strawberry-scented kisses when you squeezed her belly that I suppose was the inspiration. The tricycle was featured in the third TV special Pets on Parade (my favorite one).
The story was solid enough. It wasn’t lesson-drivrn as today’s kids books are, but more about kids being kids, and Strawberry solving the problem for her friends and being the heroine. This is why she’s the star. Adding “baby” in front of each name got tiresome and seemed odd. After all, the “baby” to their older selves. Also, they had sone of the babies in the mix, who should be infants or unborn at this point.
The illustrations are cute enough, and colorful. There is one mix up where the text and illustration don’t align.
As a kid, I loved Strawberry Shortcake, but as an adult I realized all those TV specials I recorded on Betamax tapes snd watched over and over were blatant attempts to advertise the toys. This book is likely both an appeal to toddlers, and a tie-in with some of the toys. I had a baby doll Strawberry Shortcake that blew strawberry-scented kisses when you squeezed her belly that I suppose was the inspiration. The tricycle was featured in the third TV special Pets on Parade (my favorite one).
The story was solid enough. It wasn’t lesson-drivrn as today’s kids books are, but more about kids being kids, and Strawberry solving the problem for her friends and being the heroine. This is why she’s the star. Adding “baby” in front of each name got tiresome and seemed odd. After all, the “baby” to their older selves. Also, they had sone of the babies in the mix, who should be infants or unborn at this point.
The illustrations are cute enough, and colorful. There is one mix up where the text and illustration don’t align.
March 16, 2025
The Strawberry Land Choo-Choo (Updated)
Baby Raspberry and Baby Blueberry have a collision with their purple and red wagons. Then they see Strawberry’s new tricycle. She asks do they like it. Blueberry says yes. Raspberry says she wishes she had one. Baby Strawberry says she’s going to take Baby Cherry Cuddler (but I think it’s Cobbler) some strawberries because she has a cold and it will make her feel better. Baby Blueberry offers to do it for her so she can ride the new tricycle. Baby Raspberry says she’s next. Baby Strawberry says ok but be careful.
Baby Blueberry rides off, toots the horn, and sticks her feet in the air. She starts to go too fast and doesn’t notice Baby Lemon Merangue and her frog Frappe and before you know it SPLASH! She’s knocked them into a pond. The berries go flying. One knocks Baby Lemon upside the head. Baby Lemon quickly tells Baby Blueberry to watch where she’s going. She “almost” hit her. (Ok, so maybe she jumped in the pond to avoid being hit.) She helps her out and returns to Strawberry in the berry patch.
Baby Blueberry has to admit to Baby Strawberry that she spilled the berries when she asks did Baby Cherry like them, Then she absently starts to make mud pies. So, Baby Raspberry says she’s got this. She can deliver the strawberries and not spill a single one. Her monkey Rhubarb hops on behind her. Strawberry tells her don’t be long and tell Cherry she hopes she feels better.
She takes off at a fast speed. Rhubarb starts chattering and jumping up and down and Raspberry turns to look at him. She crashes into Baby Blueberry and Rhubarb shoots through the air and lands on Baby Blueberry’s head. The strawberries again fly everywhere and Rhubarb tries to catch them in his mouth. Blue and Raspberry start to argue and blame each other. Then they start to argue over getting another chance to ride the tricycle and deliver the berries. Strawberry says neither one of them can have it, but comes up with the compromise to make a tricycle train.
She takes Baby Blueberry’s wagon and ties it behind her tricycle and ties Raspberry’s behind Blueberry’s. Strawberry says she’ll be the engineer. Blueberry will be the conductor and Raspberry will be the passenger. Strawberry gets some more berries and they head out. There’s a cow on the tracks… but it’s just Custard (Strawberry’s kitten) and he joins them. Soon all the kids join. (We see Apricot, Lemon, and Angel Cake). Blueberry says everyone can share the new tricycle. Then asks if it’s her turn to be the engineer. Strawberry says everyone gets a turn. And off they head to Cherry’s Garden.
My Thoughts
On this read, it just kind of made me feel good to know that I had -still have somewhere- the tricycle that started all this fuss and turned into such a brilliant idea (from Strawberry). And I will say this. Strawberry was a good one to let everyone have a turn because if Blue and Raspberry would have wrecked my tricycle the FIRST time, I don’t know how quick I’d have been to let them ride it again so soon. I mean I would have let them ride it again *some* day in the future, but they really would have to prove to me that they could be trusted to ride my NEW tricycle again. I’m actually surprised they didn’t damage the wheels or the basket on the back of it.
Baby Raspberry and Baby Blueberry have a collision with their purple and red wagons. Then they see Strawberry’s new tricycle. She asks do they like it. Blueberry says yes. Raspberry says she wishes she had one. Baby Strawberry says she’s going to take Baby Cherry Cuddler (but I think it’s Cobbler) some strawberries because she has a cold and it will make her feel better. Baby Blueberry offers to do it for her so she can ride the new tricycle. Baby Raspberry says she’s next. Baby Strawberry says ok but be careful.
Baby Blueberry rides off, toots the horn, and sticks her feet in the air. She starts to go too fast and doesn’t notice Baby Lemon Merangue and her frog Frappe and before you know it SPLASH! She’s knocked them into a pond. The berries go flying. One knocks Baby Lemon upside the head. Baby Lemon quickly tells Baby Blueberry to watch where she’s going. She “almost” hit her. (Ok, so maybe she jumped in the pond to avoid being hit.) She helps her out and returns to Strawberry in the berry patch.
Baby Blueberry has to admit to Baby Strawberry that she spilled the berries when she asks did Baby Cherry like them, Then she absently starts to make mud pies. So, Baby Raspberry says she’s got this. She can deliver the strawberries and not spill a single one. Her monkey Rhubarb hops on behind her. Strawberry tells her don’t be long and tell Cherry she hopes she feels better.
She takes off at a fast speed. Rhubarb starts chattering and jumping up and down and Raspberry turns to look at him. She crashes into Baby Blueberry and Rhubarb shoots through the air and lands on Baby Blueberry’s head. The strawberries again fly everywhere and Rhubarb tries to catch them in his mouth. Blue and Raspberry start to argue and blame each other. Then they start to argue over getting another chance to ride the tricycle and deliver the berries. Strawberry says neither one of them can have it, but comes up with the compromise to make a tricycle train.
She takes Baby Blueberry’s wagon and ties it behind her tricycle and ties Raspberry’s behind Blueberry’s. Strawberry says she’ll be the engineer. Blueberry will be the conductor and Raspberry will be the passenger. Strawberry gets some more berries and they head out. There’s a cow on the tracks… but it’s just Custard (Strawberry’s kitten) and he joins them. Soon all the kids join. (We see Apricot, Lemon, and Angel Cake). Blueberry says everyone can share the new tricycle. Then asks if it’s her turn to be the engineer. Strawberry says everyone gets a turn. And off they head to Cherry’s Garden.
My Thoughts
On this read, it just kind of made me feel good to know that I had -still have somewhere- the tricycle that started all this fuss and turned into such a brilliant idea (from Strawberry). And I will say this. Strawberry was a good one to let everyone have a turn because if Blue and Raspberry would have wrecked my tricycle the FIRST time, I don’t know how quick I’d have been to let them ride it again so soon. I mean I would have let them ride it again *some* day in the future, but they really would have to prove to me that they could be trusted to ride my NEW tricycle again. I’m actually surprised they didn’t damage the wheels or the basket on the back of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2008
Attention Goodreads Librarians:
My mom has the image for this book at her flicker account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarcoo...
My mom has the image for this book at her flicker account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarcoo...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews