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The very first page of this enchanting tale had me grinning and ready for more. A disgruntled and surprised looking character with a goofy nightcap and frumpy bed linen strewn about
greets readers here. This is Mrs. Biddlebox – she woke up in a very grumpy mood; the weather is miserable, and everything she sees looks just awful to her.
Finally she decides that she’s going to take everything she doesn’t like, which is quite a lot, and bake it into a wonderful cake. She gathers the gloom, plucks the lawn, takes dirt and shadows and the dreary fog
and pats them down, kneads the dough and stomps it into a baking dish. Then she dances and prances around the stove with her adorable pet duck while the cake bakes and releases a spicy heat.
Satisfied at last that the cake is perfectly done, she sits with a cup of tea and her nicest dishes to have a glorious snack
- but she eats and eats and eats the whole cake all herself!
With her belly full, Mrs. Biddlebox becomes quite sleepy and cuddles up in bed.
This is a wonderful tale filled with humor and a nice message to readers to create the day they want to have. Marla Frazee's black grease pencil and colored inks illustrations
are created with comedic flare. This 32-page hardcover children’s book, originally published by Harper Collins in 2002, was recently re-released through Harcourt Books. Linda Smith writes the story in rhyme, and as such it would make a good read-aloud book
for children aged between 4 and 7.
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