THE TINY BAKER

True friends are always there to help you pick up the pieces—and the baked goods.

Told in rhyming couplets, the story follows a bumblebee baker and her fleet of ladybug assistants as they prepare their daily treats for a waiting line of pseudo-Victorian insect customers. Alas, tragedy strikes when the ladybugs scent a “fragrant breeze” and swarm off, leaving the kitchen in disarray and a tearoom full of waiting customers. Discovering their flight, the baker is left stunned, and it’s up to her ant customers to save the day. The message of friendship to the rescue is slightly undercut by the baker’s paralysis during her own crisis and her reliance on others to solve her problems. The rhyme scheme is fair, if somewhat singsong-y in its cadence. A scattering of couplets suffer from either illogical phrasing given the visual context (“While sugar drifts like softest snow / Atop her puffy hat below”—the hat is pictured on her head and not obviously below anything) or lazy rhymes (“Cricket sounds the call to action / setting off an ant reaction”). The illustrations, oil under crackling varnish, are of a muted pastel hue with pops of brighter warm colors. The combination creates a dated vibe reminiscent of the early 1990s. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 73% of actual size.)

Bland, empty calories.