Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28509 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"It's kitchen chaos when Max and Ruby become bunnies who each bake a cake for Grandma's birthday. When it comes to the interplay between pared-down text and eventful illustrations, Wells, quite simply, takes the cake," said PW in a starred review. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1. Undaunted Max and bossy Ruby, rabbit siblings, make the perfect cakes for grandmother's birthday. A confectionary delight, with layers of laughter.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 2^-6. Wells has that rare ability to tell a funny story for very young children with domestic scenes of rising excitement and heartfelt emotion, and with not one word too many. Some of the recent Max stories have been a bit convoluted, but this fourteenth book about the determined small rabbit and his bossy older sister is rooted in elemental childhood scenarios: playing in mud, baking a cake, making a list, planning a gift, showing who you are. As in Max's First Word (1979), there's a deliciously satisfying reversal; in fact, there's a reversal on almost every page. It's hard to summarize the story: every word matters, every picture extends the confrontation.

Max makes an earthworm cake for Grandma's birthday, but Ruby says no, they are going to make an angel surprise cake with raspberry fluff icing. Max wants to help, but Ruby tells him not to touch anything. Too late--the eggs fall on the ground. So Ruby sends Max to the store with a list that says EGGS. Max wants Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters for his earthworm cake, so he adds that to the list, but the grocer can't read Max's "writing," and he gives Max only eggs. Is Max's clumsiness in the kitchen deliberate? He smiles beatifically as he bumps the table and the milk falls, then the flour; Ruby gets more and more uptight, her eyes squinched together. Still, his frustration is almost unbearable: each time, he tries so hard to "write" Marshmallow Squirters; and each time, the kindly grocer sees only Ruby's order and Max's scribble. As Ruby finishes up her cake, Max has to stay outside, but it's Ruby's face we see peering through the wire mesh and bars of the kitchen screen door, shut inside. Very satisfied with her creation, Ruby sends Max to buy some cake decorations, and this time he has an idea: he draws a picture of those Marshmallow Squirters. He races to the store, and, at last, the grocer understands. Then, while Ruby adds her final elaborate adornments--birthday candles, silver stars, sugar hearts, buttercream roses--Max goes outside and puts caterpillar icing and Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters on his earthworm cake. In the final scene, Grandma, elegant in a purple hat with pink roses, is thrilled. She looks at both big cakes, and she doesn't know which one to eat first. Eat is the word. Hazel Rochman

Customer Reviews

She loves it!
The true test of a childrens' book is how often it is chosen to be read. I've read this one almost every night for more than a month. She even carries it around with her in her wagon during the day. AND, I don't mind reading it over and over.

Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters?
I love Max and Ruby, way before they were on TV. "Bunny Cakes" is one of my favorites. Rosemary Wells uses such simplistic words and phrases yet they are eloquently written.
Ruby's making Grandma a birthday cake and Max decides to make one, too...from dirt and worms. But his cake is missing something: Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters.
See how Max finally gets them and then wonder: Which cake will Grandma eat first?

Max and Ruby: A Staple of Children's Reading
I have to believe that Max and Ruby books are staples of every American child's literary diet. For the early years of the lives of all three of my children, Max and Ruby books were (and still are) daily reading choices. The illustrations are appealing, and the characters are hilarious. I genuinely admire Rosemary Wells' mastery of story telling: in just a few pages she hones in on the sweet, funny conflicts between Max and Ruby, showing their true natures every step of the way to what is always a satisfying resolution. You should make sure all the mothers you know with little children own Max and Ruby books. I have: these are among my favorites for gift giving. Top titles in my house are: Bunny Cakes, Bunny Money, Max's Dragon Shirt, Max Cleans Up, Max's Chocolate Chicken, and Bunny Party.