Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday Sweets: Reading Rocks

Sunday, May 31, 2009

This past week I read a story on how rapper Kanye West is a "proud non-reader" and, despite the fact that he recently wrote a 52-page book of "Kanye-isms" that he would like you to buy and read yourself, he has "no respect" for books. Or to put it in his own words,

"Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph."

That's good, Kanye, since it's a right pain to get a book to even hold a pen, much less autograph itself.

Anyhoo, after banging my head against the desk and weeping for future generations, I decided that today we should celebrate those authors and illustrators who made (and make) reading so much fun during our early years.

Remember The Very Hungry Caterpillar?

[swooning] Just lookit those teensy little feet! And how perfectly the greens swirl together!

This adorable cupcake mosaic (not a cupcake cake, now, a cupcake mosaic) has been submitted by about a billion readers, but I do believe Rachel K. was the first. It was made by the stupendously talented Coco Cake Cupcakes, who is also responsible for this guy:

That's Moishe of Where the Wild Things Are.

Here's a side view:
Love that big orange nose. (There's another WTWTA Sweet here, too.)

Here are a few that look like the book itself:

I like how the curtain goes from 2D to 3D - very nice.
(Found by Amanda W. at the Night Kitchen)

Zita H. found this next one on Cake Central, but she didn't say by which baker. Let me know who I should credit if you recognize it:

I especially like how the "book" looks a little careworn - as if it's been read many times. I'm going to give the baker the benefit of the doubt and assume that's intentional. ;)

Here's some more Dr. Seuss, this time courtesy of Debbie Does Cakes:

Amazing.

I was hoping we'd have some Golden Books represented today, and luckily Hey You delivered with this Poky Little Puppy inspired cutie:

This was made by her friend Stacey, and you can see more pictures of it and the party here.

I've had this Babar cake photo forever, so you guys will have to help me once again in identifying the baker:

I love everything: the colors, the outlining, the garland... just exquisite.

And finally, how about a little love for Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit?

He looks like felt, doesn't he? That's some gorgeous figure modeling!
(By Cheryl of Heavenly Confections.)

Hope you enjoyed these sweet selections, guys! Now please, go find a kid and read something together, k?
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Unknown said...

WOW! How awesome! I fell in love with all of these. How amazing that something like that can be created with cake, fondant, and icing!
Sweeeeet.

~Amy B.

Fluffy Cow said...

They are all amazing! I especially love the Peter Rabbit.. it is just so very pretty!

WV: Chant... let's all chant together " We love Cake Wrecks"!

Emily said...

As the Literacy Coach at an elementary school, I am appalled by Kanye West's statement. Thank you, Jen, for fighting back! Gorgeous cakes!!!

Kashmir said...

Flawless! Absolutely flawless, one and all. Those books are favorites of my son's and most were favorites of mine. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has to be my favorite and a masterpiece of cupcake-dom. Thank you, ma'am for these show stoppers.

sorryifarted said...

wow! I read this blog every day fearing and hoping that a cake from the bakery I work at will be on it! I'm so pleased that my friend's good night moon cake is on a sunday sweets! what a pleasant sunday surprise!
-jenny from the night kitchen.

Ekio Locatiare said...

I never ever want to here him talk about books again! That's just so .....yeah I'm not even going there.

The cakes are gorgeous! I adore the Seuss books cakes and the Good Night Moon for its curtain.

But that Poke puppy. Wow. 0-0 The pup itself is just amazing!

Rob said...

Reading does rock. I loved all of those books... and cake to celebrate them is so much sweeter. :)

Anonymous said...

The bibliophile in me loved this week's Sunday sweets so much. Thank you!

Christina (BookTasty) said...

Its so sad to me that Kanye, who is a very talented artist, isn't open to other forms of art, like literature. And although he is entitled to his opinion I know many students (I teach) who will probably hear his comments and think as he does. But don't fear, I do know MANY students who I have to make put their novels away in class b/c they need to pay attention to the lesson! (Its always hard to tell them to stop reading!!)

On a less disappointing note, I LOVED this post and my favorite was the Beatrice Potter cake at the end! I am going to send the link to my mom since she is a children's librarian and would also love this post! Thank you!!

April said...

I LOVE those cakes. Although I must say my favorite is the Peter rabbit cake. I still have mine in storage. :)

MFonvielle said...

Wow, these bring back memories :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, those are so amazing!!!

Kanye West sounds like a real moron.

Amanda said...

These are adorable! I love love love them.

Angel said...

I think the main thing to remember is that Kanye is a VERY arrogant individual to begin with. If it detracts attention from him, he doesn't like it. I will admit that I was FURIOUS when I saw Best Week Ever on VH1 and they were discussing it, but on the plus side, most of the press seems to be treating it as a joke.

Times like this I'm grateful for books like Twilight. I may not like said books, but they DEFINITELY got more people reading.

That said, can I pretty please have that Beatrix Potter cake? *puppy eyes* Peter Rabbit!

Morgan said...

I hope Kanye West dies in a fire that is somehow caused by books (for the irony). Maybe, he could... I can't think of a way to do this without burning the books. Although we could use second hand copies of The Da Vinci Code.

Caite said...

Books made of cake? Heaven! A love of books is one of the best things you can give a child and who wouldn't love one of these books? The Dr. Seuss cakes are a work of art and Peter Rabbit looks too good to eat.

BigMomma said...

My kids are all book addicts and loved the adorable cakes! At least the kids who like Kanye will be forced to go into a bookstore to get his book!

Anonymous said...

Another Peter Rabbit lover here.

This reminds me of the International Edible Books Festival. Although my guess is that most places that hold it generate wreckitude, not sweets :).
An example of the event, with a slightly different take on Peter Rabbit: http://www.loganberrybooks.com/edible-books-2009.html

Anonymous said...

Moron is an understatement!


Love the cakes.

Shannon said...

Regular reader but first-time commenter here. This may be my favourite Sunday Sweets post ever! I love the Beatrix Potter cake! That was unbelievable!

Anonymous said...

hmm well kayne had better hoped kids can read its the only way they will understand what he's saying and rapping about!and as a 24 year old i have read all of these books as a child and love them all-they are just beautiful
~sam of Sam's Baby Creations

Carrie said...

Ugh - Kanye is such a tool. I wish he would just go away.

Love the cakes... makes me want to go to the library, but being Sunday, they are closed :/

Dorci said...

Sentimentally adorable.

holly said...

Oh, oh oh! All my childhood favorites. I still remember the family friends who introduced me to Babar. I'd say something about Kanye but it probably wouldn't make it past Jen, lol.

"You may have tangible wealth untold,
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be,
I had a mother who read to me."

Mags @ the Other Side of 50 said...

The Fox in Sox... WOW. That's awesome.

WV: extrict. extract's parents.

Sami said...

I LOVE the Pokey Little Puppy cake!

I want that cake's autograph!

Sarah said...

Thank you. Those are beautiful cakes, but I love the sentiment behind them even more. As a school librarian, I love all children's books. Thank you for helping to spread the message to read to our kids!

Anonymous said...

Omigosh, the cakes were AMAZING!!! I loved the Peter Rabbit and Babar cakes, although I've never read The Hungry Caterpillar. Anyways, I am an avid reader, and I am familiar with Kanye West's attitude as it is growing (although I have to say, many people aren't quite as ironic...) in society, so this was a great and enjoyable Sunday Sweets topic. Thank you so much for including it!!!

Maryam said...

I loved the Poky Little Puppy as a kid, and that cake is just amazing! They're all gorgeous, but that one blew me away.

Glory von Hathor said...

Scrolling down, it was like "that's my favourite". "No! That's gotta be my favourite." "No, this one, for sure." "No..."

Nightfalltwen said...

I can't believe someone who has access to so many people could say such a horrible thing about reading. Reading is vital. Shame on Kanye! Shame!

Those cakes are awesome. I especially love the Peter Rabbit one. <3

Cathy said...

Don't worry--there's hope for future generations! My son is 2 and a half, and is the only toddler I know of who you can take to Toys R Us just to pick up a jumbo box of baby wipes and he doesn't care. Then head across the parking lot to Barnes & Noble and he pitches a screaming hissy fit because you didn't get him a book. I'm thinking it might be time to pick up some more Dr. Seuss books.

Anonymous said...

It looks like there is a scrape on the side of the Babar cake. How sad...

MalMal said...

I'm proud to say that I own *almost* all of those books. Now if only I owned all of those cakes.... or even one of them.


wv: quism. Next time you see Kanye on the street, quism to see how integi...inteleg... smart he isn't.

Unknown said...

I love the children's classics. And you'll be happy to know, I have 8 kids all of whom have inherited my love of books. I read peter rabbit to them last night :)

Anonymous said...

Oh I love this blog! It is part of my morning routine now. Anyways the Dr. Seuss cake (one fish , two fish ) is by someone named loli. They did an excellent job on it!

-Shannon P.

Half Assed Kitchen said...

Kanye might like to start with Fox in Socks. I think it's about at his level.

Angie (from over at www.HalfAssedKitchen.com)

Anonymous said...

these are sooooo cute!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the ultra-rare examples of Cupcake-Cake: Yer doin it rite, akshully.

Love, love, love Peter Rabbit -- I now have ideas for the baby shower cake I have to make this week! (I'm an amateur, so I don't qualify for wrecks.)

Unknown said...

What's so great to me is that One Fish Two Fish and Fox in Socks were my all-time favorite Dr. Seuss tongue-twister books. My dad used to read them to me when I was little and I would urge him to read faster and faster and he always did it without a flub!

Those are absolutely amazing. Let's hear it for reading -- and great cakes! :)

Unknown said...

Wonderful cakes! And "Night Kitchen" is a book reference, too!

Melinda said...

I read that quote from Kanye too. What a tool.

These cakes are great! I love the Poky Little Puppy! I love Little Golden Books in general. I have a small collection going for my son.

Carina Olsen said...

Oh my gosh... These are so stinkin cute!

Unknown said...

I dunno... sometimes I be thinkin' Dr. Seuss be so wordy. I wouldn't want his book's autograph.

Wow, what a moron.

Those cakes are AWESOME!! I want a Pokie Little Puppy cake!!

BethStev said...

All Kanye West managed to do was make himself look like an idiot. Those cakes are beautiful though. :)

WV: Arnou... Teachers everywhere arnou attacking Kanye West with holy water, garlic, and books.

Wendy said...

Wouldn't it be great if someone hit Kanye in the face with one of these cakes? Of course, that'd be a real waste of a gorgeous cake, and the irony would undoubtedly be lost on him...

Fairly Odd Mother said...

I'm so glad I have never spent a cent supporting Kayne. His comments make me so sad. Thankfully, your cakes made me feel so much better.

Anonymous said...

This is, by far, my favorite Sunday Sweets ever! Thank you so much for this.

Diana Dang said...

That brings back a lot of memories!

Melissa Kirk said...

I hope he said that after his mother died. I like to think that she would've smacked twelve kinds of crap out of him had he said it while she was alive. Ugh, people like that make me sick.

Thank God for people like you, Jen!

Laurie said...

Such creative and lovely cakes! Looking at the Babar cake made me feel like I was visiting an old and dear friend from my childhood. I have such love for that elephant.

WV: vigan - I think perhaps it's a vegan who also eats ice cream.

Anonymous said...

Love them all, especially Peter Rabbit, with the Dr. Seuss close behind.

Cake and awesome children's literature: nothing sweeter than that!

Muum said...

nice! esp love the bunny cake. thanks for showing these today!

gooner71 said...

Kanye was raised in a comfortably middle class environment and is a guy who every once in a while, and because of his listening public, feels compelled to dumb it down. Not all of his statements can be the gem that was "Bush hates black folks."

NYCGirl said...

I think this may be my favorite Sunday Sweets ever, because, unlike Kanye (um, who's self-absorbed?!), I have always loved books and reading.

Valinda said...

My 4 yr old loved and identified each of these cakes correctly. Her favorite is the Poky Little Puppy! We'll be reading one of those books later today I'm sure of it. :)

libraryofbird said...

I can proudly say that I have read everyone of those books and loved them all. This may be one of my favorite Sunday Sweets ever. And the Poky little puppy made me sigh dreamily.
Sara

Jan Holt said...

Loved the cakes and the inspiration to encourage reading. Where the Wild Things Are is STILL one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing these and for confirming my opinion of Mr. "I'm a Dodo" West.

Lucy said...

I found your site thru another blog. Beautiful cakes done by talented artists. I love the Beatrix Potter cakethe best. I loved being read her stories by my Mother. Yes Kanye, open your mouth and show your ignorance.

Unknown said...

While I love the WRECKS, I do have to admit that a day of beauties is fab. These are all very sweet cakes. (No pun intended.) I think I'm going to read some of these to my kids today.

Cake Believe said...

Don't get me started on that guy! I read with my kids all the time and we LOVE it! Great mix of cakes today....I especially love how a CCC and become a Mosaic!

Jayme Q said...

Oh, I love this post!! All of those cakes are fantastic, and I love all of those books. My son already has several of them and we read every single day (he's 16 months old). I guess Kanye and I wouldn't get along very well - I love to read!

Vasilly said...

I love this post! Now I want one.

emilysuze said...

As a high school English teacher, I've worked against statements like that for years and even used some of Kanye West's music to get kids writing. I'm so angry that he would say something like that about reading. There does a whole generation of readers down the drain.

Thank you for this post! You rock!

Emily

Katy said...

Aww! I love the Babar cake!

Loonstruck said...

These are gorgeous cakes! Even the cupcake mosaic!

Don't forget that your local library probably has a summer reading program for the kids and maybe something for the adults! One of the best ways to get kids to read is to let them see that you enjoy reading.

Alison said...

Now if we can just get Kanye to stop TALKING too...

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited to see the Pokey Little Puppy cake; that was one of my all time favorites as a kid and may now have to be inspiration for my yet to be born daughter's first birthday! :o)

MaryBe said...

These cakes tugged at my KidsAreGrownUpButNoGrandChildrenYet heartstrings
Thank you :)

Unknown said...

WOW... Those just brought back so many memories! I LOVED all those books! Er, cakes! SO very pretty!

DK
http://uberfoodnoob.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

So beautiful!
The best part? My wonderful 2 year old sitting on my lap knew EVERY book! =D

Unknown said...

It's unfortunate that a lot of the kids I see every day share Kanye's line of thinking. They usually stare at me wide-eyed because I'm "that sub" that comes in with a pile of books and reads all day. I love reading!

Today's Sunday Sweets just makes me so happy. Hooray for Cake Wrecks!

Jet Fisher said...

Really Kanye? I would never want a book's autograph either, because a book is an inanimate object. What he meant is that he would never want an author's autograph. You know, the people who write those wordy, self absorbed books.
Hmmm, wordy, self absorbed; 808's and heartbreak anyone?noness

Unknown said...

That made me want to cry. It's hard enough to get the average kid to read, and he goes and stacks the odds even further against success. Wow.

The cakes were *amazing*! I couldn't believe how life-like the Fox in Sox book was! And the Beatrix Potter was great too!

Thanks for sharing, Jen!

Anonymous said...

This is my favorite Sunday post ever. Thank you for sharing these wonderful cakes.

NHershberger said...

I love how Kanye's criticism of books is that they are "wordy and self-absorbed". Wordy self-absorption is a pretty accurate descriptor of the man himself. Maybe he feels that books are his direct competitors? Would explain the hostility.

Enough bitching; these cakes kick ass!

Unknown said...

Awwww! I did a hungry caterpillar cake for my daughter's first birthday!!! Everyone says it was the best one I did...please look if you're interested :)

http://cakedreamer.blogspot.com

These are great! I read most of these books to my kids! We LOVE Fox in Socks!!!
Thanks!

Kristen said...

Wow Kanye. Wonderful role model there.


I love these cakes, though! They bring back so many memories from my childhood.

Cheryl said...

That Peter Rabbit cake is amazing.

Mari said...

Wow, that quote was scary. Nice role model for our children.

Mary said...

Great selection! Looks yummy and brings back some amazing memories... I especially love the Babar cake!

Thanks for your blog, it's always a pleasure reading your updates!

Emily said...

This is my favorite post ever (save the Kanye nonsense).

What inspiring cakes and what a fantastic way to fight ignorance - through the uniter of all - Cake!

Emily
-Munich Bavaria

Pat said...

These are all works of art - the cakes AND the books themselves. I'm now reading every one of those to my grandchildren, and several of them are their mother's old copies...that makes them even more special to my girls! Now, how about cakes for the Tawny, Scrawny Lion and the Saggy Baggy Elephant!!! Thanks Jen - and as for Kanye???What a jerk!

liz said...

On Kanye...maybe if you have read more during your childhood you would be able to speak properly.

Sad for you -- no matter how much money you make you are still unintelligent.


I love the Dr. Seuss cakes. Oh how I would of loved a Dr. Seuss cake for my birthday when I was little!

Sunday Sweets are my fav!

WM said...

Awesome, awesome, awesome...etc...I am swooning at the gorgeous-ness...and even a fabulous and perfect CCC...will wonders never cease?...made my Sunday! :o)

Dani said...

These are all lovely.

I'm proud to be raising a entusiastic book lover. She can't read yet but she's rather have a new book than a new toy.

Bald Outing said...

those are sooo cool!

Elle said...

The cakes are brilliant! Thanks for posting... they brought back a lot of memories!

Laura said...

Very, very cool. My favorite post yet, I have to admit. I find myself wondering which bakery would best render Cimorene of "Dealing With Dragons," and would I prefer her making cherries jubilee or arguing with Kazul? Then my mind wanders to my childhood and the books my mom read me -- "Herbert the Timid Dragon," or "It'll All Come Out in the Wash," and I start wondering where I can find a copy of those books and a proper bakery to represent my childhood in sweet cake form.

Kathleen in Canada said...

Oh my goodness those are all so adorable. That Pokey Little Puppy cake especially. They make me want to dig out and re-read all those books... although considering my "baby" turns 12 years old next week, might not be appreciated LOL.

Jules said...

Why does Kayne think it's so cool not to read?!? He's the one missing out.

I adore all of these cakes esp the Peter Rabbit one and Hungry Catterpillar.

clare @ the pretty walrus said...

truly beautiful cakes!

but i am still cringing at the quote... shameful... meh

Michael said...

Well. Though I do enjoy it myself, reading is only *one* way to get an education. Just saying. Socrates was a pretty clever guy who was against written language, and he's a character in Plato's writings. Kind of like Kanye being a character in whomever wrote the Kanye-isms book. Kanye's fame and money comes out of an oral tradition. Are we to say cultures that use writing to pass information on are superior to oral traditions? Hmm.

caronae said...

Oh my gosh I loved all of those books so much, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Babaar. The cakes are lovely. I would want one of them if I ever children.

Justi said...

Adorable cakes! TFS!

Bex said...

I love today's post, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside remembering those books I loved as a kid and still love to this day.

Apryl said...

awsome.. especially adore the Pokey Little Puppy as that was my favourite story when I was little.

books and book cakes rock!

GJC said...

Man, and up til I read that quote, I actually thought Kanye had his head on pretty straight (and to be fair, it would surprise me not at all if his "anti-book-ism" was a calculated pose--for one thing, his father is a college professor, and for another thing, I HIGHLY doubt he got his verbal facility from watching Barney and Teletubbies all his life. You cannot write lyrics as well as he does and be totally book-avoidant.)

(/end tangential non-cake-related commentary)

Those are some of the most gorgeous cakes I've ever seen, and I'm even factoring in my likely bias as a bibliophile. The technique and the accuracy of those book covers....man. I'm just speechless. (And hungry--also hungry. Anybody got some cake?)

WV: miess. Unlike the cakes in today's post, Saturday's featured cakes were a hot miess.

Scritzy said...

I absolutely adore those cakes. What artistry!

And as a writer, I find Kanye West's attitude highly offensive. >:(

Word verification: trant. A cross between a tantrum and a rant.

Krista said...

I used to LOVE the Very Hungry Caterpillar book! And so many of the others that were featured... like the Pokey Little Puppy... how fun! Yay!

Sheri said...

"I would never want a book's autograph."

Funny that you included that quote, Jen, because when I read about Kanye's opinions on books, that is the sentence that stood out the most to me. I just wanted to scream (we won't talk about WHAT I wanted to scream)...and say exactly what you said in your post.

I don't have any kids of my own to read to, but I volunteer at a Head Start center reading 1-on-1 to preschoolers, so I am starting to learn more about kid's books. :)

P.S. Word verification: unplesyn.
Definition: How Kanye spells "unpleasant."

The Herings said...

I'm pretty sure Kanye's mom was an English teacher. Yikes-- maybe he done needs someone to be editing his "isms" for him, fool. Word.

norby said...

The Pokey Little Puppy was my favorite book when I was little, so that gets my vote for the best cake in today's group. But really, all of them are spectacular.

As much as I enjoy seeing and chuckling at the wrecks-seeing the amazing cakes that are well made is even better.

Pilgrim said...

these are INCREDIBLE!!! As a teacher, I'm always promoting reading...and what more could you want than a book AND cake in one?! Its a slice of HEAVEN!!!

I thought the 1st one, Hungry Caterpillar, was terrific, but then they just kept getting BETTER...

That Pokey Little Puppy cake has details that are absolutely amazing.... thank you for posting all of these!!

cindysloveofbooks said...

WOW!! Those are amazing. Hard to choice a favorite in those pics.

beastmomma said...

Those are beautiful! I love book and I love cake, so the only thing which would make me like this post more is if I could have a bite of cake. Kanye West is such a strange fellow.

RigaToni said...

Kanye's most arrogant statement ever..

he said that his one regret in life is that he can never see himself perform live (because he's the one performing) and he's SO good that he really feels he's missing out by not being able to experience that.

Then I saw him on American Idol performing in a results show. He was using the vocoder on that "Heartless" song. A. I couldn't understand him and B. He was so out of breath from performing that the song sounded out of tune even with the vocoder on.

Clearly, he's super awesome live... um, no.

Tama said...

Thanks to anonymous for posting that edible book festival link - awesome - Pita Rabbit indeed. lol

I loved all these cakes! Pokey Little Puppy and Peter Rabbit rock but they are all great.

I seriously dislike Kanye - he has never had any appeal for me, although at the very first I had some hope, which disintegrated really fast. He is the dictionary definition of "tool".

Tatersmama said...

Ooooooh... I LOVE these!
The Peter Rabbit one is simply exquisite!!

I'm a reader... and I was blessed with children that take after their mama.
I would rather read than eat (other than cake of course) and my day care kids are the same way - they always have their little noses in books. :-)

Kayne West's comments? Pbbbpttt!
That's all I've got to say...

Jen said...

Those are great! The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Goodnight Moon are two of my favorite children's books!

crystal said...

Oh!! Wow! I love ALL of these. Makes the sound of my biological clock much louder...uh oh.

Lasair said...

My mom made me a book birthday cake once for a Favorite Story Book Character Dress-up Birthday Party.

Bit of a mouth full, but the cake looked like an open book with my name and age printed on it. I love books and the hungry caterpillar...Any chance I could order him? He is soo cute, just like the story front.

SMLP said...

The One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish one is a dream come true! It's one of my all-time favorites :-)

Snacky French said...

awww. these took me down memeory lane. i absolutely love the catapillar!!!

Jennifer Good said...

My generation and the ones below me make me not want to breed.

Seddah said...

I loved the Babar cake. All my friends make fun of me for loving Babar, but it was a huge part of my childhood.

I feel so lucky to have grown up in the (late) 80s and 90s so that I got a chance to live in the real, tactile world before being introduced to the internet and other such technology. I've been in love with books my whole life and I owe so much joy and comfort to these books. I've read those (and many other) Dr. Seuss books countless times. I love Peter Rabbit. These cakes are gorgeous and they bring back so many happy memories.

I've never liked Kanye West. He's arrogant and ignorant and rude, but after that last statement I'm beginning to think that he's just plain stupid. Whether he ought to be or not, he's a role model (as sad as that is) and he can influence kids. He should use that power to encourage kids to read. If kids continue to eschew literature for television and technology then maybe we really will end up in a world like that in the movie Idiocracy. That would be terrifyingly tragic.

Anonymous said...

Wow! My favorite Sunday Sweets ever! Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Now cakes like these, especially the Goodnight Moon cake should be baby shower cakes!

Sleepwalker said...

Painful as it was, I did follow Jen's link to the erudite Mr. West's interview. So being a non-reader was helpful by giving him a 'childlike purity', huh? *rolls eyes* This Sunday Sweets is truly all about 'childlike purity'. Rock on!!

Margaret said...

love the pokey little puppy!

Webster Twelb said...

love the cakes!!! it looks awesome. too good to eat.

Shame on Kanye West.

CorningNY said...

These are AWESOME! My favorite is the Peter Rabbit cake. My kids are 21 and 23 now (sigh), but I think I read them all these books...I loaned all my kids' books to my sister to use for her kids, but made her give them all back!

Dea said...

LOVE them!! And I'm weeping for the future here too, we're AVID readers in our house. What an ignorant way to think, eh?

I think most of these are too pretty to eat...

Anonymous said...

I'm an avid reader--have been since I was little--and it always confuses me when people say they hate reading.

Great cakes! I remember some of these from when I was a young'un.

Pademelon said...

This is one of my favorite Sunday Sweets ever. I'm biased because I'm a bibliophile but I love the trend of book cakes. And the hungry caterpillar feets! And sprinkle bristles! Too cute. Made me squee.

Kanye's statement about books threw me into a fit of rage and made me weep for the future at the same time. I don't care if he doesn't like to read (though it makes me sad) but it's just irresponsible to add to the devaluation of the written word when it's been on the decline for so long. I don't understand how one can try to defend rap as art (which it can be) while completely disregarding other art forms, especially ones as relevant as literature. Thanks for fighting for literacy with cake! It's the tastiest way!

Julie said...

The Poky Little Puppy is my all time favorite, and that cake is CUTE!

3BoyMom said...

Phew! Cupcake mosaic, OK. I was so afraid I was going to have to say I like a cupcake "cake"... mosaic. LOVE IT!

Those cakes are beautiful! I don't know if I could eat one- way too pretty! Each one is better than the last.

Beth A. said...

Aw, these are amazing cakes! I especially love the Dr. Seuss ones, but they're all AWESOME!

Unknown said...

"Gooey goo for chewy chewing, that's what that goo-goose is doing...."

"Chicks with bricks come, chicks with blocks come, chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks come....."

"From near to far, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."

"My hat is old, my teeth are gold, I have a bird I like to hold, my shoe is off, my foot is cold." (reverse)

The fact that my hubby, my kids, and myself can quote these at any time makes me proud as can be. Take that, celebri-twit. How about a tweetle beetle battle?

Zoltar Panaflex said...

It is my firm opinion that it is our obligation as literary types to disregard and yes, even shun the dullards such as what's-his-face with the outsize ego who has to tell you how great he is.

I'm reminded of a comment I read before "Just because you say doesn't necessarily make it so..." (A terrific read called "Acts of Gord"...)

Hail Books. Bless Books. Bless Literacy. Bless Intelligence.

Oh, and Cake!

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

Ha! That's so cool! :D I love all of them. Yay for children's book cakes :)

Brain Picker said...

He said WHAT? *facepalm*

Anyway, this Sunday's cakes are adorable! I love Dr. Seuss :D

Julia said...

Little secret for ya - Kanye can't read, so his defense mechanism kicked in when he said he hates reading! He He.
Maybe he doesn't have wonderful memories of parents who snuggled with him with a book before bed - very sad. All these books were by our childrens' bedside just waiting to be cracked open for the hundreth time. Beautiful work!!

Dee said...

Hmmm...well, if Kanye doesn't like books, I guess he'll just have to miss out on these beautiful cakes.

Shadowed Storm said...

I'm a newish reader... just found this blog a few weeks ago- and I LOVE it! thank for the great blog Jen!

Kanye West you are a... I'm not going to comment because it would need to be censored... I have a hard time believing the kids I go to school with really think that that pompous jerk is something to aspire to...

As a bibliophile I loved this post! My room is filled with books and I've been reading almost anything I can get my hands on since I've been able to read...

Lisa Chin said...

AHHHHHHHHHH! Some people just make you shake your head and wonder how they have ever managed to make it in the world.

Thank you for supporting reading! Books and words are wonderful. So are illustrators - AND cake decorators who can make amazing cakes like you have displayed today! I love the children's books cakes, especially The Pokey Puppy. I wonder if there are cakes out there of grown-up books? Perhaps on another Sunday you could show them to us?

Solid said...

Jen, you're awesome. Kanye West is most certainly not awesome.

Jolene said...

Gorgeous cakes! Every single one is perfect!

Hey You said...

YAY! I am so glad that you liked Our Pokey Little Puppy cake! The picture really does not do it justice, it was just perfect. And tasty too! My next favorite was the Potter cake, that bunny looks stuffed it is so darling.

Deanna said...

Hmmm. And to think that Kanye West's mother was pretty high up at Chicago State University. I'm sure she tried to instill a love of reading, and yet....

Anonymous said...

Thank you. This post gave me even more of a reason to dislike Kanye West :-P

And these are AMAZING! I love the Dr. Seuss ones :)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!

It makes me want to grab all of those books and read them to my kids NOW (and yes, I have every single one of them).

I read The Poky Little Puppy so many times as a kid, I wore out the book.

Kanye West is an asshat - who doesn't read.

Samantha Suzuki Photography said...

Some of my son's favorite books! I don't know who Kanye West is and now, don't care to!

BTW, WV...novels....LMBO!

Amy said...

awesome cakes! all the classic books. defiantly makes me want to wake my kids up and read to them, well... maybe i'll wait till the morning,LOL

Coco Cake Land said...

WOW!!!! thank you so much for featuring my caterpillar cupcakes cake and where the wild things are cake!!! i am so happy to be on cake wrecks... in the sunday sweets section of course...

i love your blog, i think it's hilarious and read it often, so it's really awesome to find myself on it!!!

xo lyndsay

Anonymous said...

In a world where Twilight is a force of nature and Oprah gets shown up by a fake addict's fake autobiography, I can't blame Kanye for distrusting books. Words don't magically gain credibility or value by being printed on paper.

Shame nobody did a Lorax cake... that's my favorite Dr. Seuss.

Anonymous said...

Ooo...a QuoteWreck on CakeWrecks. I've always wondered what it would feel like to be stupid. Perhaps Kanye could shed some light on that in a future interview, because I believe that he seems to be fairly stricken with that affliction.

Lovely cakes. Children's literature is amazing!

~kate

Dagny's Box said...

Kanye needs a good beating.

Anonymous said...

Wow cakes are really awesome.

Mena said...

I think that you might very well fall in love with some of these cakes. :) http://www.charmcitycakes.com/gallery

MCouzin said...

Absolutely fantastic! Inspiring.

I'm thinking we could have a design bake-off at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair - the families and kids would love it! We'll have to run it past the event committee.

Mary
Chicago Toy and Game Fair

Anonymous said...

Kanye, Kanye, Kanye. You have the ability to influence thousands upon thousands of disadvantaged youth, yet you decide to tell them that reading sucks. Shame on you. I don't even know why your famous except for your temper tantrums and huge ego. Get off your high horse. PS - The cakes ROCK! Especially the Babar cake. Love your blog!

Nancy the Romancechick said...

I am an author of romance and fantasy novels and it drives me absolutely crazy when "pop culture icons" say stupid things like "I'm a proud non-reader." Okay, whether he likes it or not, he's a role model and it's hard enough to get young kids to read without some one they admire (for good or ill) to discourage them!

Okay, sorry about the soap box.

I love, love, love your site and thank you so MUCH for celebrating books and reading!

lfox18 said...

Beautiful cakes! Unfortunately, the sentiment expressed by Kanye is not that uncommon. This pervasive anti-intellectualism causes masses of people to vote down library budgets. They don't see a problem when officials close or fail to fund libraries in their schools. They brag about not reading and not using libraries. There are fewer and fewer people carrying the literacy banner. We have much work to do. We can't just "let them eat cake!"

Alex said...

i like it, look delicious

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love those cakes. Remarkable!! My sisters and I just got through discussing on Facebook the fifteen books that have shaped our lives, and there is an incredible list. I couldn't stop at fifteen. We may not be bajillionaires like Mr. West, but we are richer in heart for having a love and respect for books. I too worry about the younger generations and the things they have made their priorities.

And BTW, I adore your site. It's always great for a laugh.

I'd send pictures of my Niece and Nephews cakewrecks, but they are only kids, so it's expected that their cakes look a little wonky.

Erin G.

Bri said...

How pretty and whimsical! :D

As a Literatures in English major and an avid reader I weep for my generation and those to come too Jen.

One should be ashamed to say something like "proud non-reader".

WV: agsbye -- like Agatha Christie and The Great Gatsby combined...

LLDonna said...

This demonstrates that as readers we can HAVE our cake and EAT it, too. Take that, KW!

LLDonna

pitchersbakery said...

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1324571

the dr suess book with the one fish... is by jrule i believe... the link if you have a cake central name and password is linked above! Hope that helps!

Suzy said...

That Poky Little Puppy cake is AMAZING! I can't believe it was made by someone who wasn't a professional cake decorator. Just beautiful...hmmm, maybe I should do something like that for my kid's next party??! HHHAAAAHHAHAHAHA! Okay, now that I'm done ROFLMAO, I'm gonna go look up the number of the Kroger bakery...

Yummy in my tummy said...

wow, those cakes are amazing indeed!

Suzanne Dargie said...

Those Dr. Seuss cakes ROCK!
Not like that horrible "baby in a snail car" thing from a previous post.

Read and See said...

That Kanye West should be kicked in the face till he bleeds to death. This would serve the double purpose of not having him produce his "music" anymore, either.

On the up side, cakes made of books! Yum! I wish someone would make the bunny from 'Guess how much I love you' - it might not be as cute as that last one of Peter Rabbit (DARLING), but I just love that bunny!

Another awesome one would be a Very Busy Richard Scarry cake - there'd be so much going on!

Janet Rudolph said...

Awsome! How fabulous!

Cassi said...

Kanye West is a d-bag.

Unknown said...

These cakes are F A B U L O U S! I cannot wait to share this link with members of our book club!

Kate said...

This has to be my favorite Sunday Sweets thus far. :) I love them all!!

Queen of All Wild Things said...

My nephew likes to call that particular Wild Thing "Bernard"; we both have a stuffed version! I didn't know they actually had official names, though.

WV - "blers": the mood you are in after you break up with your boyfriend for being too clingy and then he calls you 50 times in five hours. (Don't ask how I know that...)

Anonymous said...

Cakes are awesomely beautiful and bring back lovely memories of reading to my son. That yellow bow on the Babar cake is, indeed, exquisite! And... for the record... I wouldn't help Kanye West across the street. Boo-hiss!

Carma said...

I adore the Peter Rabbit.

So I suppose that this means that Kayne won't be offered a chance to be on one of ALA's Read posters. I'm sure his mother would be SO proud. (sarcasm)


WV - Vulak:The vulcan version of a hairball.

Anonymous said...

I think I teared up a little bit when I saw the Poky Little Puppy cake. That is my all time favorite book from childhood. That cake is sheer perfection.

Unlike Kanye.

Corbie said...

Love to read, love cake, love your site! I *am* frightened by one thing, though. I followed your link over to CakeCentral thinking I'd be in heaven. Instead, I'm having nightmares. What is with those peoples' addiction/fascination with cake mixes??!? I don't care how many boxes of instant pudding you add to it, the stuff still tastes like a wad of artificial flavoring and preservatives--in fact, the instant "pudding" just makes it worse. Bleah! I still want the Peter Rabbit cake, just tell me it isn't made with a cake mix. Please!

silvergirl said...

oh my gosh, that Very Hungry Caterpillar cake... and the Babar!! utterly perfect, both of them. i am dying over here.

Love these :)

WV: lintips: These amazing childhood cakes make me tingle all the way to my lintips...

Anonymous said...

These are just gorgeous. Boo on anyone who doesn't understand the joy of reading.

charlotte said...

To think that Hey You's friend Stacey is not a professional would be erroneous. Though she is a friend and does make special cakes in her home, she is indeed a professional and a gifted artist as evidenced by Pokey Little Puppy. The wonderful thing is not only do her cakes look beautiful, they taste very good too. Every one she makes, leaves me thinking its my favorite, but this one is hard to top.

Linda said...

I am proud to say that my children knew what books these were from and yes they LIKE to read!

Linda

Devin said...

Ruby Slippers, I like the Richard Scarry cake idea! Or Curious George, or Pat the Bunny...or Madeleine! But please, no Kanye West cakes, ever.

Megan said...

This post confirmed two very important things for me, which I already knew before:
1) Kanye West is a total IDIOT.
2) Books inspire magnificent things!

These cakes are absolutely beautiful. The peter rabbit one is my personal favorite.

FreedomFirst said...

*squealing with delight* I love it! Especially the caterpillar and Poky Puppy.

Diane - DB Impressions said...

Those are a FABULOUS tribute to the books we all know and LOVE. Kanye can kiss my rats. My kiddo is sitting on my lap as we speak "reading" his book...at 2. So, thanks for posting these! I think my fav is the Poky Puppy...he just holds a special place to me!

Sewing-Chick said...

Holy crap, those are some great cakes!! One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was one of my two favorites growing up, and Poky Little Puppy was my hubby's favorite :) Thanks for sharing the pics with us!!

Judy Freeman said...

These are all classics of children's literature. If you're baking and you need more inspiration for your next cake, take a look at my booklist of classics on author James Patterson's spectacular website, www.ReadKiddoRead.com. When you get to the home page, click on COMMUNITY and then LISTS, and you'll find it. James Patterson, unlike Kanye, is a published author who LOVES to read and has started a website for parents, teachers, librarians, and kids. There are already 200+ extensive reviews of un-put-downable kids' books on the site, plus annotated booklists, interviews with famous children's book authors, and way more. Off my soapbox and on my way to find a cupcake somewhere. . .
Judy Freeman
ReadKiddoRead Reviewer
www.ReadKiddoRead.com
www.JudyReadsBooks.com

Terri Hoover Dunham said...

I love the story book cakes. They are all amazing!

Terri Hoover Dunham
The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story
www.terrisbooks.com

Raising A Reader MA said...

Fantastic!

We especially enjoyed the call to action at the end!

Best,
Dana
www.raisingareaderma.org

Caitie Miller said...

That pokey puppy cake is just darling and I LOVE that caterpillar! who would have thought that cupcakes could be so appropriate!

Beth Doyle said...

If you aren't familiar with the international Edible Books Festival, be sure to check out their website www.Books2Eat.com

We also have our own festival page at http://library.duke.edu/about/depts/preservation/edible.html

Sophia said...

Oh hey, Night Kitchen is right near me! We buy cookies and stuff there all the time. I'm glad they got a cake on Sunday Sweets here.

Sophie said...

I first saw the Dr Seuss fish cake on here - I think this is the baker http://diullbar22.deviantart.com/art/Dr-Seuss-book-cake-113374036

Sophie H.

Nancy-B-T-MA said...

Thank you for these photos - love them. I am so pleased to read in the 'Comments' (yes all 190 of them) just how many people said Pokey Little Puppy had been their favorite book. It was one of mine too. I'm always amazed that I wasn't exposed to all the books considered children's classics. I wasn't really deprived or anything - just lived in a very small town / rural area with only the library books in each elementary classroom plus a bookmobile from 20 miles away. I've always been a reader but the only book titles I can remember from childhood were Golden Books: Pokey Little Puppy - Saggy Baggy Elephant - & Shy Little Kitten.

Neil W Rabens said...

Someone posted " How about The Tawny Scrawny Lion and The Saggy Baggy Elephant ? " I second the motion !

Mary said...

They're all beautiful, but that Very Hungry Caterpillar cake gave me chills. Gorgeous. I want it, but I'd never let it be eaten!

Tanja Schuurman Robinson said...

Found it! The wonderful Dr Seuss cake was done by CakeCentral.com member 'loli' (http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-forum-userprofile-144343.html).

And by the by...I really love your blog...I've spent many (too many really) hours pouring over your photos and comments - a riot!!!

I live in The Netherlands, so we don't see a lot of American style cakes, with the inscriptions, and if so, not in English....but I still stay vigilant that I can become a Wreckporter one day as well!!

Happy caking!

Tanja Schuurman Robinson

Jen said...

What an incredible gallery of cakes! The Hungry Caterpillar one is my favourite, though the Beatrix Potter one is amazing as well.

Anonymous said...

the caterpillar is so CUTE!...
But Jen, I thought you hated CCC

Anonymous said...

One shell, two shell, red shell, blue shell, death-on-swift-wings-comes-for-you shell!
http://www.youtube.com/rockpapercynic#play/uploads/5/8SEfmhcD8pE
It's the last vid on the upload list. I'm sorry. I can't think Dr. Suess without thinking of this... Staying anonymous so I don't look like a geek. 'Cause I am. I really am.

Anonymous said...

I stumbled on the Babar cake here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosey_sugar_palace/1798269231/in/set-72157600810755554/

Absolutely beautiful cakes and cookies!

Anonymous said...

Kanye's mother was not only an English teacher, she was a professor and the head of a college English department. I think the poor woman must be rolling in her grave.

Like another poster here, I threw a "storybook" birthday party (for my 6-year-old niece). Everyone dressed up as storybook characters, and I made a book-shaped cake--that was NOWHERE near the caliber of the gorgeous ones on this site!

Yénifer said...

OH MY GOODNESS! SOO many wonderful things I loved as a child!! (And still do, to be honets!)

The awesomeness cannot be expressed!

Yeah, I'm kind of at the opposite spectrum from Kanye with regards to those statements, lol.

Anonymous said...

THAT POKY PUPPY DESERVES TO BE EATEN! HE DUG A HOLE IN THE GARDEN!!! WEAPONS OUT! -gets out fork- CHAAAARGE! -stuffs mouth with poky puppy-

Anonymous said...

what i love is some of the comments saying that for the ones who have their kid in their lap as they lok at these can name them. i hop that makes sesne.

Aliza said...

Oh, these cakes bring back memories! How sweet reading is.

My mother used to make shaped cakes for my birthday, and the first one she ever did (and one of my favourites) was a cupcake caterpillar! It was different-- I only discovered that book in time for friends' kids-- but thanks for the memory.

And a couple of friends and I give books for baby showers now: what better gift could there be, other than reading? (OK, reading + cake!!). The first time I did that, I sewed big stuffed fish out of cuddly polar fleece, and gave One Fish/Two Fish because it matched the colours. Awwwww....

PS I'm glad my taste in music doesn't have illiterate twits. Rock singers have other issues (!) but at least I haven't heard any of the dis reading.

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