Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming, illustrations by G. Brian Karas

Always a fan of a great story, Clever Jack Takes the Cake is a new story with an old-fashioned fairy tale feel. Upon receiving an invitation to the princess's birthday party, a poor boy named Jack creatively gets the ingredients to make her a cake. On the way to the party, he meets a number of obstacles including a hungry troll and a dancing bear who, little by little, take pieces of the cake until there's hardly any left for the princess. However, Jack ends up giving the princess a delightful gift that is far more interesting than the usual tiaras and gems the other children bring her.

This is the kind of story that just grabs you from the very beginning and makes you keep turning the page to see what happens next. It's an original folktale that I think has lasting power. On first read, I didn't even look at the illustrations, which is pretty rare when I read a picture book but also the mark of a wonderful story. It doesn't need illustrations to support it, but when I finally did look at them, the soft antique-like colors offer the perfect "old-timey" tone.

As for the three-year-old test, it passed with flying colors. I can probably recite the book from heart since I've read it so many times.

With just enough humor and fairy tale magic, this makes a perfect story time book.

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (August 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375849793
• ISBN-13: 978-0375849794
• Source: Review copy from publisher 

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