I Want Cake! — for children ages 4-8 — begins with six-year-old Leen telling her older sister, YaYa, she wants cake for breakfast. Though at first YaYa resists the idea, together they quickly rope in their little brother Jaden. They try to get help from their Haitian mother and grandmother, American Jewish father and grandfather, and their Cuban neighbor. Each adult disagrees with the cake request and urges them instead to eat one of their own, culturally-preferred breakfast delicacies. Undeterred, the cake-for-breakfast team perseveres, even as the adults secretly delight in their escapade.
- Publisher: Story Quest Publishing (November 2015).
- Reading Level: Ages 4 and up.
- Hardcover: 32 Pages.
- ISBN: 978-0982699812.
- Available from Barnes and Noble: and Amazon:
On A Personal Note
Illustrating I Want Cake! was a personal challenge. It’s the first book I illustrated on my own using Photoshop. Every page took hundreds of hours. Then I’d scrap the revisions and start over — dozens of times over two years. After the “final” pre-press draft arrived for approval I changed each page again. Another year passed. I’m glad I took the time because I learned advanced Photoshop along with basic composition, color and lighting. If I can do it — you can too!
Book Awards
* I Want Cake! is a Recipient of the Prestigious Mom’s Choice Award
The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 55 countries. Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media look for the MCA mother-and-child Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality products and services for children and families. The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost.
* I WANT CAKE! Named Foreword Reviews’ 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards Finalist
Each year, Foreword Reviews shines a light on a select group of indie publishers, university presses, and self-published authors whose work stands out from the crowd. In the next three months, a panel of more than 100 volunteer librarians and booksellers will determine the winners in 63 categories based on their experience with readers and patrons. The 2015 INDIEFAB finalist selection process is as inspiring as it is rigorous,” said Victoria Sutherland, publisher of Foreword Reviews. “The strength of this list of finalists is further proof that small, independent publishers are taking their rightful place as the new driving force of the entire publishing industry.”
Book Reviews
The I Want Cake! Kids
Here I am with the stars of I Want Cake! They inspire me every day with unbounded imagination.
