Baking Day at Grandma's

Three vivacious bears spend a pleasant and productive day with their grandmother in this warm tale from the husband-and-wife collaborators behind Bella and Stella Come Home and Pigs Love Potatoes. Anika Denise's impressionistic couplets invoke the sounds, sights, and smells of the siblings' visit. After making their way through the snow, the bears arrive at an inviting cottage: "Knock-knock-knock on Grandma's door./ Hear her pad across the floor./ Plant a kiss on Grandma's nose,/ cozy fire, warming toes." Donning aprons, they mix batter then kick up their heels ("Old-time music, soft and sweet./ Skippy notes and tapping feet") while the cake bakes, joyfully chanting the story's refrain: "It's baking day!/ It's baking day!/ It's baking day at Grandma's!" Christopher Denise's digital artwork glows with light%E2%80%94of the sun, the fireplace, and finally the moon%E2%80%94and radiates the bears' energy as well as their affection for Grandma. In an unexpected and sweet turn, the young bakers wrap up slices of cake in gift boxes to share, rather than sampling it themselves. A chocolate cake recipe is included. Ages 3%E2%80%935. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)