Pat-a-Cake

LeUyen Pham’s adorable, vibrant illustrations bring Mary Brigid Barrett’s singsong text to life in a board book for the very young.

If you can pat a cake, why not a peach or a cold and bumpy pickle? How about a fuzzy caterpillar crawling on your knee? A well-known rhyme expands into a tactile exploration of a toddler’s world.

“Barrett's verse scans with a pleasingly jaunty rhythm. Pham's stylized cartoons are done in a muted color palette; eye-catching patterns on the clothing and in the backgrounds infuse the scenes with a lively energy. The last two double-page spreads skillfully bring the energy down as a pair of brown-skinned siblings pat Mommy, Dad and each other before patting a pillow and teddy at bedtime. ... [Y]oungsters will recognize the exuberance represented here as their own. --Kirkus Reviews Each scenario is illustrated with Pham's exuberant artwork, featuring bright colors and happy children. ... Barrett has stayed faithful to the rhythm of the original rhymes, making [Pat-a-Cake] easy to read and enjoyable to hear. --School Library Journal”

Barrett’s verse scans with a pleasingly jaunty rhythm. Pham’s stylized cartoons are done in a muted color palette; eye-catching patterns on the clothing and in the backgrounds infuse the scenes with a lively energy. The last two double-page spreads skillfully bring the energy down as a pair of brown-skinned siblings pat Mommy, Dad and each other before patting a pillow and teddy at bedtime. ... [Y]oungsters will recognize the exuberance represented here as their own.
—Kirkus Reviews

Each scenario is illustrated with Pham’s exuberant artwork, featuring bright colors and happy children. ... Barrett has stayed faithful to the rhythm of the original rhymes, making [Pat-a-Cake] easy to read and enjoyable to hear.
—School Library Journal

Mary Brigid Barrett has written and illustrated many award-winning picture and board books, including Shoebox Sam. In addition, she served as creative editor for Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, published by Candlewick Press. She is the president and executive director of The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. She lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.

LeUyen Pham is the author-illustrator of Big Sister, Little Sister and has illustrated many other books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio. With Candlewick Press, she illustrated God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams and Aunt Mary’s Rose by Douglas Wood. She lives in San Francisco.

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