Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins

Who knew that cakes were so rude?! In this deliciously entertaining book, a not-so-sweet cake—who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents—gets its just desserts. Mixing hilarious text and pictures, Rowboat Watkins, a former Sendak fellow, has cooked up a laugh-out- loud story that can also be served up as a delectable discussion starter about manners or bullying, as it sweetly reminds us all that even the rudest cake can learn to change its ways.

Rude Cakes is a cleverly written children’s book that manages to convey a message about rudeness in a very silly, approachable way.  Think Goofus and Gallant in the form of a not-so-sweet two layer cake and the very polite cyclops he crosses paths with.

Children will enjoy not only the rude behaviour from the cake but the humorous twist that has the cake change it’s ways and become the sweet little cake he was meant to be.

The illustrations are done in pencil and ink in a unique style and the use of different sized fonts for emphasis and responses matches the quirkiness of the story quite well.

A very silly book overall, but one that I think makes the message about manners a little bit easier (or should I say sweeter,) to swallow.

Rowboat Watkins is mostly a dad who likes to tell stories and draw. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!