Sorry, Mrs. Cake!

by Kate Milner

Mrs Cake puts together a delicious spread for her friends, but they are too distracted to notice. Along with the help of an attentive little boy and his cat, Mrs Cake tries to get their attention… but that doesn’t go quite to plan. Will she ever be heard above the hullabaloo? From celebrated author & illustrator Kate Milner, comes a bright, witty tale celebrating the importance of listening to everyone, not just those who shout the loudest.

Genres: Picture Books

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a busy day at the local park. There's a band playing, dogs barking and chasing each other and people busying about. No one seems to notice the usually quiet Mrs. Cake who has gone to a lot of trouble to put on a fantastic spread. Maybe the grey-blue cat and a young child could lend a hand?

Holding hands, the young child who appreciates Mrs. Cake's effort, guides her around the park to tell all the others what she has done but they cannot get heard. The Dads are too busy playing with rubber ducks, the Mums are too busy chatting to one another and the older children are impossible to keep up with. It's exhausting not getting heard.

But not to worry, the cat has a cunning plan and, in the end, the community all gather to applaud Mrs. Cake's achievements. There's nothing like cake to bring us all together.

Milner's illustrations are borderline surreal in a welcome way. People are on the fringe of seeming distance and unreal except for Mrs. Cake and the child who almost always face us. Even the landscape feels two dimensional as if this is a 'stage' for some comtemplation. Milner tells us at the back, that the inspiration for the book was about politicians not listening to the public and those who shout loudest often get heard the most. It's very clever. Will children get it? Yes, of course. They'll get it in a way that makes sense to them with Milner leaving plenty of gaps for us to bring our own interpretations. It's challenging but in all the right ways.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting for this book is a picnic like Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” But in this case, there’s also a little boy accompanied by his blue cat and the mysterious Mrs. Cake. They are trying to gain the attention of the picnickers, who are all distracted by various endeavors. The dads are racing wind-up ducks on the pond, the moms are too involved in conversation, and no one else seems to notice the boy in his efforts. But, what is he trying to do? Ahh, behind the tent’s curtain we see the big reveal: a table laden with sumptuous treats – tea, lemonade, tarts, petit fours, cake, and all kinds of sweet delicacy. The boy has the idea to lead the little kids, then the moms and dads will follow with the big kids, and soon everyone is there and are made to say “We’re sorry” and “Thank you.” It is only then that Mrs. Cake utters her only words: “You are all very welcome.”

Although it took me a few times to figure out what was going on, I eventually caught on to the gentle drama of the picnic. I loved examining all of the picnickers, a group whose skin colors and ages are diverse, and who all have little dramas going on. Mrs. Cake herself is a brown skinned woman with a striking hairdo and an apron. We never figure out why she doesn’t just announce that the food is ready. The art has echoes of Seurat and Picasso in the way the characters are posed. It’s a quirky little story that will nonetheless find its fans.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure that some youngsters will love the illustrations in this picture book, but the scenes are just too crowded for me, and my senses felt overwhelmed as I perused the pages. The plot centers around a young boy, the narrator, and his pet cat. He slips inside Mrs. Cake's tent at some sort of outdoor festival, and finds several yummy desserts that she's prepared. But Mrs. Cake is rather quiet and reserved, and no one knows about her offerings. The boy decides to spread the word, but the fathers, mothers, big kids, and grandparents pay no attention to him. Eventually, they realize that the way to get their attention is by bringing the little ones to the feast. After that, everyone else follows. The rest of the crew is grateful for Mrs. Cake's generosity in sharing this delicious food and apologetic for ignoring or dismissing her. It's clear that the book's message concerns listening to others, even when they are quiet and easy to overlook, something that readers will notice in several of the colorful scenes in the illustrations, but I'm not sure how easily young readers will be able to pick that out. Because of the way the comments are placed in conversation balloons it's challenging to determine who is speaking at certain points.

[MookNana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble following the plot. The book opens with concerns that it's too loud for Mrs. Cake, but that thread never goes anywhere. Then, Mrs. Cake has made something, but it's not clearly shown what it is and why everyone needs to know what it is. After several groups of people ignore them, Mrs. Cake, a child, and a cat hatch a plan to get the community's attention. Eventually all of the community members are brought together and asked to apologize to Mrs. Cake (why? did they owe her some obligation?).

I fear the kids will be confused and have difficulty engaging. I wouldn't discourage a child who picked this up, but I wouldn't push them toward it either.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

[Emily Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a digital ARC of this book, thanks to NetGalley*
This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. The illustrations were beautiful, there was so much to look at on each page! I also like the Picasso-esque feeling of the illustrations, very non-traditional for a children's picture book. The message of the story was also a good one, and I was very intrigued that the title character didn't speak. She had a very calming presence and, frankly, put up with a lot!
Overall, I enjoyed this book and its beautiful illustrations. It actually took me a little while to read, as I wanted to make sure I saw everything in each picture!

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to my grandchildren (3, 5, 8) but they were not impressed at all. It is a story about listening, sharing and appreciation. Mrs. Cake has made a feast of desserts, but no one wants to listen when the young boy tries to tell them to come and see what she made. He comes up with an idea to bring the babies, so the others will follow. Not a winner for us at all.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.