Everyone Loves Cupcake

PreS-Gr 2--Cupcake is the fancy star of the bakery. She works hard to make sure she is beloved by all the other sweet treats. Being popular takes a lot of work as Cupcake rolls the wrinkles out of her paper baking liner, gets a new icing application, and makes sure that no sprinkle is out of place. Unfortunately, Cupcake starts alienating her former admirers with her constant quest for adoration. Maybe Cupcake doesn't need to be perfect for everyone after all. Each of the colorful bakery items has its own personality in this humorous tale. Puns abound, although some are more successful than others. The cinnamon bun "roll[s] his eyes," croissant can be a little "flaky," Coffee loves Cupcake "a latte," and at one point Cupcake feels "crummy." The message of acceptance is a bit muddled within the jokes, and there is an unnecessary romance between the fortune cookie and Cupcake, but by the conclusion it is clear that all of the bakery treats are friends and accepting of one another's flaws. Fans of DiPucchio and Wight's earlier offering, Everyone Loves Bacon, will be excited to see a bacon cameo. VERDICT This tempting treat will satisfy young readers' craving for laughs.--Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH

"Undeniably, unabashedly charming in its whimsy and wordplay, this fluffy-and-delicious-as-buttercream story delivers laughs by the baker's dozen. Wight's detailed but utterly straightforward digital illustrations are the real source of giggles, using expressive anthropomorphized baked goods to enchanting effect. Saturated pinks and blues grounded by the browns of breads across full-page spreads make for frothy visual fun, and the supplemental details, including sly nods to the book's companion piece, Everyone Loves Bacon, guarantee laughs across age groups...a tasty confection of a story, sweet, silly, and indulgent—and worth every bite." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books