Pat-a-cake Baby

Mother-daughter team Joyce and Polly Dunbar offer a sweet and whimsical confection for babies, inspired by a nursery rhyme.

It’s late at night, and everyone is sleeping—except for pat-a-cake baby! All dressed up in his chef’s coat and hat, baby wants to make a very special cake. Time to wake up Candy baby, Jelly baby, and Allsorts baby—miniature cherubic figures who float through the pages to lend a hand. One by one, they add ingredients, from glitzy sugar to yolky jokey eggs, until it’s time to bake, pat, and decorate the cake. Finally it’s ready for tasting, just in time for a special guest (the man in the moon!) to have a slice. This surreal and colorful treat is just right for sending little ones off to dreamland.

Joyce Dunbar has published more than eighty books, including Shoe Baby, which was illustrated by her daughter, Polly Dunbar. Her books have been translated into twenty languages. She has also written stories for radio and TV and contributed to anthologies. She lives in Norfolk, England.

Polly Dunbar is the author-illustrator of Penguin, Dog Blue, and Arthur's Dream Boat. She is also the illustrator of My Dad's a Birdman, written by David Almond, and Here's a Little Poem, an anthology of poems for very young children. She lives in London.