A review by joyous_mango
Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen

4.0

Michael Rosen wrote this ode to chocolate cake. Originally this was a poem, but now it has turned into a picture book. This was a Honored Book for through the Children's Books Ireland (CBI) for Illustrations by Kevin Waldron. This book is useful in the classroom because it is a very silly, interactive, and amusing story. This story will produce laughter and language from children. Rosen's use of sounds and noises will really bring to life the book and get children interested in reading. This book is not a good book for teaching children directional reading because not all of the words go left to right in a straight line. I do recommend this book because children can get involved with the book, and relate to it well. The illustrations reflect the written story well, and the noises the children and teacher make while reading create a memorable experience. Even if a children has never eaten or had chocolate cake before, they still have a favorite food that they cannot resist! The illustrations won an honored title because Waldron used turn pages, sounds, and the words to his advantage. For this book, I would take advantage of the sounds and have children draw a map of how to get to their favorite food and what kind of noises might they encounter during their excursion to the food. In the book, the boy has to sneak past his parent's bedroom which has a creaky floor, open the refrigerator, and more! I think it would be fun for the students to come up with their own noises and obstacles to sneak past. Another literacy activity could be creating some "frosting", maybe some brown paint or dyed shaving cream, and having children practice writing letters with it so it adds a sensory element to the experience.