Cake for Everyone

The author/illustrator, Thé Tjong-Khing, has won the Max Veltiujs Prize, and this is a book in the same captivating world between animal and human activity as Veltiujs’ charming Frog in Love, Frog and the Birdsong etc – with the exception that this is a wordless book with a host of characters. The reader is invited to explore a world in miniature, full of playful detail, following an eagle’s dastardly (and unsuccessful) attempt to steal the picnic blanket from a group of animals out to enjoy a meal outdoors. As the eagle flies off with their picnic, the stork makes the eagle let go of the blanket scattering everything over a very varied landscape – and this is where the fun really starts.

Where did the cake go when it fell? What will the snake do with the plant pot? Why does the gorilla (yes, there was a gorilla in the early pictures) look sad later on? Follow the football or the sword, count the mice, tell us about how (and why) the stork is feted as the hero at the end… My current favourite subplot has to be the beautifully sinuous snake who finds the fez with a feather in it, and loves to look at itself in the mirror the ant finds; this alone tells you the complex actions to be discovered in this glorious puzzle of a book – and can you spot the snake in the final party? It took me a while!

This is an addictive read whether shared by an adult, or by a group of children, or simply explored by a child mesmerised by all the different storylines that appear and disappear. Cake for Everyone really is a book for everyone: it captivated this reviewer and will equally delight an inquisitive 3-year-old!