Review by Booklist Review
In this stand-alone sequel to Dozens of Doughnuts, it's been a long winter and Topsy (an opossum) misses her hibernating friend LouAnn (a bear). Now that spring has come, Topsy has planned a grand feast for LouAnn, and she has already delivered invitations to their friends. On the morning of the feast, Topsy works long and hard, preparing stacks of pancakes for all to enjoy. But wait! There are pancakes missing from one of the platters. Is a pancake thief nearby? Refusing to accept defeat, Topsy makes increasingly large batches, but still the delicious pancakes are disappearing nearly as fast as she can make them. When LouAnn begins to stir in her cabin, all their friends gather to welcome her back, along with her two new cubs. While the solution to the mystery of the missing pancakes isn't revealed in the text, the culprit(s) will be evident to children who study the detailed illustrations alongside Finison's well-cadenced rhymed couplets. Other listeners will simply be yearning for pancakes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Good intentions prove little match for voracious ursine bellies. Topsy the opossum has a bold plan for her bear friend LouAnn. Since LouAnn has been hibernating all winter, the very start of spring is the perfect time for a massive pancake-based breakfast. Rhyming verse sets an upbeat tone as Topsy produces five delicious pancakes…which are immediately and mysteriously purloined when Topsy's back is turned. Unfazed, Topsy makes a second batch, which also disappears. When a third and fourth batch meet the same fate, Topsy is utterly bereft. Fortunately, friends are nearby to lend a hand. By the time LouAnn awakens, there are plentiful pancakes on hand…and two stuffed cubs with suspiciously pancake-y faces by her side. LouAnn is the new mother of two very hungry little ones! In the end, everyone benefits, scarfing pancakes galore. As with this tale's predecessor, the good-naturedDozens of Doughnuts (2020), the fun lies in both the mischief and the food. The gentle rhyming text scans without flaw, while Farley's delightful art brings to life not simply an evocative view of early spring, but also the fun and whimsy of a put-upon opossum. No good deed goes unpunished (and no good pancake goes uneaten) in this charming new take on post-hibernation.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
