I Really Want the Cake

April 6, 2020
“It’s on the table sitting there./ I cannot help but stop and stare,” says Philip’s (Be More Bernard) protagonist as she gazes at an impressively decorated chocolate cake. She imagines herself and her canine comrade-in-arms as Wild West outlaws in a stand-off, eating utensils in double holsters. But the child’s mother has posted a sign that leaves no wiggle room (“YOU MUST NOT EAT THE CAKE”), and so the duo endeavors to practice self-control. Graphic designer Gaggiotti’s boisterous, crayonlike drawings show the girl and dog grumpily going through the motions, playing badminton and reading poetry. But it’s no use—once they sneak a few licks, the whole cake disappears in rapid order. Maybe Mom will forgive her if she makes a replacement—how hard could it be? This diva of cake snatching commands every page, with her proclamations of entitlement (rendered in sprawling handwritten type), her extensive repertoire of operatic expressions, and a hairstyle that seems to have a life of its own—especially after she’s laid waste to the kitchen. In more ways than one, she really does take the cake. Ages 3–5.