I love reviewing children’s books on Linda’s Book Bag and I’m delighted to have another to share today; The Snake Who Baked a Cake by S. Afrough and S.Hough, illustrated by S. Goodway.

The Snake Who Baked a Cake was published by Clink Street on 1st August 2017 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here. To celebrate, the authors have kindly told me about a favourite recipe of their own.

The Snake Who Baked a Cake

Join Jake the Snake in his kitchen to find out how he bakes a big chocolate cake!

The Snake who Baked a Cake is the first in a series of illustrated children’s stories by sister writing team Sarah and Simin.

Baking Memories

A Guest Post by Sarah and Simin

Growing up, Simin and Sara’s mother was an avid baker.  She often used baking as a tool to interact with her children in a fun and interactive way. By assigning tasks to each of them, Sara and Simin grew a bond and a creative interests in the kitchen.

One of their favourites bakes was the classic chocolate brownie. Sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, flour and chopped walnuts were added to melted chocolate and butter and baked for 25 minutes.

Once baked, the tasty treats were devoured by either themselves, family and friends.

Sara and Simin have fond memories of visits to their Grandmother as kids, and she too played a prominent role in their childhood. One activity they were involved with annually was helping with her cherry jam production over the summer. This was largely a family affair where the sisters, along with their cousins, would be organised into teams and compete over the most number of cherries pitted.  Their Grandmother would then cook the cherries for hours and once the jams were ready, they would be potted for family and friends.

Simin and Sara cherish these nostalgic memories they gathered as children, and often recall how instrumental these were in creating special bonds with families and friends. They reflect on the variety of skills that were passed down through generations during these activities, and use/will use these as guides to encourage interaction with their own children.

My Review of The Snake Who Baked a Cake

Jake the snake is cooking!

You’d think there wouldn’t be much to say in reviewing a book a mere 18 pages long aimed at two year olds, but I disagree.

Firstly, there are some smashing illustrations to captivate young children and I like the way these relate to the text so that children might count the three illustrated eggs that Jake uses, for example, promoting numeracy as well as a love of storytime.

I thought the rhyme scheme was very well maintained, allowing young children to hear similarly spelled words to help with future oracy and literacy. I also liked the fact that although the text is primarily simple and at the right level for very young children there are also a few words like ‘wobbling’ to extend their vocabulary too.

Alongside these aspects I thought the care taken with the oven as Jake baked was a good way to promote safety and I liked the fact he wore his apron to keep clean. It is no bad thing either that a male snake is baking to invert sexual stereotypes and I love the concept of getting children active in the kitchen so they can emulate Jake’s baking too.

I thought The Snake Who Baked a Cake was an excellent book for pre-school children.

About S. Afrough and S.Hough

After becoming an auntie and mother respectively for the first time, sisters Sara and Simin quickly came to love story time and the joy of creating new worlds, and adventures, which would spark the imaginations of the children in their family. Wishing to share their stories with other young readers, and their families, they decided to put pen to paper beginning with their favourite character of Jake, a Californian red-sided garter snake, and his surprising ability to cook scrumptious cakes.

Complimented by colourful and dynamic illustrations, Sara and Simin hope that that the book will not only provide an entertaining bedtime read but will also encourage young and extended families to start baking tasty treats together in the kitchen!

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