The Donut Chef

by Bob Staake

IN THIS DELICIOUS tale, a baker hangs out his shingle on a small street, and soon, the line for his doughnuts stretches down the block. But it’s not long before the competition arrives and a battle of the bakers ensues. In the competitive frenzy, both bakers’ doughnuts become “quite bizarre, like Cherry-Frosted Lemon Bar, and Peanut-Brickle Buttermilk, or Gooey Coca- Mocha Silk!” Some are not even very tasty: “Donuts made with huckleberry (don’t be scared, they’re kind of hairy).” One day, Debbie Sue, just barely two, enters the bakery, and searches in vain for her favorite doughnut, where “the choice of donuts left her dazed. Said Debbie Sue, “But I want . . . glazed.” A fun lesson in keeping it simple in which our hero chef decides to go back to the basics, and wins over the whole town.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Fiction, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2008

About the author

Bob Staake has authored and/or illustrated more than forty-two books, including The Red Lemon, a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. His work has graced the cover of The New Yorker a dozen times, and his November 17, 2008 Barack Obama victory cover was named Best Magazine Cover of the Year by Time magazine. He lives on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rivalry between competing donut shoppes gets out of hand in this colorful tribute to the joys of fried dough.
I LOVE Bob Staake's cheery artwork.







Mmm . . . donuts!

[Jeana Wert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book that could be a lesson to young children. I loved that the pictures were so colorful and the illustrations were so different. The way that the illustrator made the people in the book is so different. It looks like the illustrator used a ton of different shapes to create the pictures. I like that Debbie Sue came into the doughnut shop just wanting a plain glazed one. Throughout all the competition with the other doughnut shop, i'm sure this request came as a surprise. This was a lesson to the chef that not everyone likes the elaborate things and some people like simple things. Also, all the different flavors of the doughnuts in the book made me hungry!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

When two chefs open donut shops on the same block, a donut war begins. The donuts become fancier and more outrageous until finally a little girl asks for her favorite donut - glazed. It turns out that despite all the fancy and tasty options, glazed donuts are really the favorite.

I love Staake's modern and clean style. And unlike some rhyming texts, this one flows well and fits the feel and message of the story. Perfect for a Kindergarten read aloud.

[Cosette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what happened to the loser... So many questions...

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my brother and I’s favorite books from childhood :’)

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun! Great illustrations and a rhyme that doesn't feel like a stretch.

Mmmmm...donuts...

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a rival baker opens up a donut shop right next door to the Donut Chef, a feud ensues in which they compete to create increasingly bizarre flavored doughnuts until a child reminds the Donut Chef of the public’s love of the basics.

The illustrations were done in Bob Staake's whimsical Mid-Century modern style with clean lines, prominent shapes, and bright colors.

This picture book introduces the concept of escalation.

As someone who loves the simple traditional doughnuts, I am often hard pressed to find a cake doughnut with chocolate icing or an icing filled long john. Strange and novel flavors don't interest me.

[Dawn Roudebush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that rhyme without feeling like it had to try too hard to do so. This story of two donut chefs who open competing donut shops was cute as the chefs created more and more ridiculous recipes to keep up with each other. Two year old nanny babe loves this. Ok and the many illustrations of donuts. She appreciated it even more when it encouraged a trip to our local donut shop for a sprinkle donut.

[Lumi Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Donut Chef was lots of fun to read and the illustration was awesome. I loved even more how I could relate to the little girl at the end when all she simply wanted was a glazed donut. I too just like my old school donuts when DD had glazed, strawberry glazed, chocolate glazed, and old fashioned. Then on the strawberry and chocolate you could add sprinkles if you liked. Now they have all sorts of different things, but they no longer have strawberry -my favorite- glazed.

[Adalyn McCarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Donut Chef, is a book that revolves around competition and rhyming which I found very amusing. It has a very simple rhyming concept, which had every other sentence rhyming together. I love the illustrations and that the original chef came back to his senses and started to care for his costumers rather than himself.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh I love this illustrator! I can stay in this book for an hour and never get bored. I love the varied and unique characters he creates and all the funny sub plots they tell through the pantomime of art.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cute and whimsical, but there were multiple places the text was hard to read due to the patterned backgrounds or illustrations. The story also didn’t really resolve, and the ending felt a little forced—I feel almost like I missed a couple of pages.

[Viann Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glazed donuts really are the best! This book is a favourite with my family. It’s a fun rhyming story about two competing donut shops. Whenever I re-read this book, I’m tempted to go get some donuts afterwards.

[Lydiathekicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moses, like the rest of us, greatly enjoys donuts. I enjoy simplicity and rhyming books.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about a book filled with donuts?

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 y.o. at babysitting read this one to me tonight

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for "D is for Doughnuts" themed storytime - August 14, 2018 - it was a little long for the crowd that came today, but the older kids liked it.

[Maria McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for learning letter "O"

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an adorable book and one that was requested more than once while we had it from the library.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about donut shop rivals and how everyone just wants a darn glazed donut!

[Katherine Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone loves donuts

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silly and fun story about two competing bakers that increase their different styled donuts, but forget that sometimes simple is the best! #glazed

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Patrice]

BookTree

They loved this book

[Lillian Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a good glazed donut??

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and a simple, but meaningful story. My favorite book as a child 🍩❤️

[Henry Mattesich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fight me

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good message and fun illustrations - led to impromptu family discussion on the books's themes: competitiveness, consumerism and marketing, entrepreneurship, collaboration, passion for ones work

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

When two donut chefs compete for business, their creations get more and more outlandish. Crazy flavors, odd shapes. "It wasn't long before the sweets looked not at all like donut treats. They'd lost their taste. They'd lost their soul. They'd even lost their donut hole!" Until a young customer comes in and reminds the donut chef what is really important.

[Nicole C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about a doughnut war.

Two chefs - one distinctly rotund and the other sharp as an exclamation point - open doughnut shops next to each other on a busy city street. The doughnuts steadily become more complicated, in shape as well as flavor, a sly wink to today's culture where every baked good has to be "gourmet." In fun rhyming couplets, the competition builds, until one day a little girl comes in and wants the one doughnut that the chefs do not have - glazed. All Debbie Sue wants is a simple, glazed doughnut. In the end, the chef realizes that back to basics is where it's at.

The illustrations, also done by the author, are fun and unusual. They remind me of something one might see on Cartoon Network, with angular and curving humans, starfish shaped doughnuts, and green and purple faces. It's kind of like Dr. Seuss for a new millennium. There are some rhymes in here that are pointed at adults, such as the doughnut "dressed like a Shriner," with a red fez on top. Children will not understand that, but it brings adults into the story.

This would be great fun for a storytime, and then perhaps have children design their own doughnuts out of paper.