School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Having made pancakes and then spaghetti, Tyler and his dog are now ready to make a cake for Tofu's special day-but dogs can't eat cake. When the baker who is helping Tyler reminds him that cake for humans is too rich for canines, Tyler is discouraged, but the man comes up with a wonderful substitute: a special cake just for Tofu. The book ends with recipes for two cakes: a carrot cake for humans and a cake with appropriate ingredients for dogs that is shaped like a bone for Tofu. As in the previous two books, Tyler learns where the ingredients come from, as text and illustrations imagine him going with the baker to gather everything and then describe the steps needed to mix all of them together to produce the cake. The large pictures are done with pen and ink, and the digitally colored characters, outlined in blue, are easy to see, making this a book that could be used in storytime along with an actual cake-making project or at home with an adult. Combining a story and a cooking lesson is a novel approach, and it works well for this author and Food Network chef.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In his third cookery outing, Tyler and his dog, Tofu, visit the bakery to learn to bake but forget to mention that Tofu is the cake's recipient. Fortunately, the baker makes a second, dog-friendly cake. (Recipes included.) The text, largely Tyler's questions and the baker's answers, is dull and didactic. Retro pen-and-ink, digitally colored illustrations have plentiful clean white space. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Tyler, who has introduced kids to cooking and baking in several previous books, now wants to make a birthday cake for his dog, Tofu. It's off to Mr. Baker's shop, and step-by-step, he shows Tyler how to procure the ingredients for carrot cake, which necessitates a visit to a farm, before he explains the baking procedure. The one twist is that when Mr. Baker realizes that the cake is not for Tyler, the recipe must be revised for canine consumption. Both the text and the oversize art, outlined in blue, are simple yet amusing. Cake recipes for both man and beast are appended.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2014 Booklist
