Make A Wish! Tyler Makes a Birthday Cake by Tyler Florence and Craig Frazier

It's Tyler's pup, Tofu's, birthday, which calls for a cake. Tyler knows how to cook pancakes--and spaghetti--but neither of those seem like birthday party fare. How do you make a birthday cake?

LET'S GO TO THE BAKERY AND FIND OUT HOW!

Ty remembers how delicious Mr. Baker's carrot cake is, so he asks for some expert help. Mr. Baker launches into a full scale How-To demo!

"WE CAN CREATE ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR IMAGINATION TO!" SAYS MR. BAKER.

"WHAT ABOUT A SPACESHIP? A RACE CAR? A PIRATE SHIP?" SAYS TYLER.

The master baker starts the first step--assembling ingredients, pointing out to Tyler that he will recognize some of the same things that went into his delicious pancakes--flour, butter, and eggs. But for a carrot cake, they will also need carrots--and pineapple Pineapple?

"Aloha. Tyler!" laughs Mr. Baker. He explains that pineapple is a fruit from Hawaii that looks like a pinecone but which is sweet and crisp inside--like an apple. He shows Tyler how it is prepped for the cake. He goes on to explain the other ingredients that make this cake unique--raisins (dried grapes), cinnamon (the dried and grated bark of a tropical tree), walnuts (from a walnut tree) and vanilla (made from vanilla beans). While the cake bakes, they make the frosting--with cream cheese made from milk from dairy cows.

But Mr. Baker points out that carrot cake is for people, and since Tofu is a dog, he gets a special canine kind of cake that dogs will love--made with peanut butter, more shredded carrots, grape seed oil, and whole wheat flour. And... they can bake Tofu's cake in the shape of a bone, and decorate it with a topping of dog treats!

Tyler blows up the balloons, puts out party hats, and sets the table for the party.

They sing "Happy birthday, dear Tofu!" Can the dogs dig into Tofu's birthday cake now?

Not yet! There's just one more thing to do.

MAKE A WISH!

In their latest in series, Tyler Makes a Birthday Cake! (Tyler and Tofu) (Harper, 2014), Tyler Florence and Craig Fisher bring back Tyler for another kitchen adventure, every kid's favorite, the birthday cake. With Chef Florence providing the culinary chops, artist Frazier provides the eye-pleasing illustrations of the novice Tyler and his pooch Tofu, whose doggy doings provide the comic relief to the cuisine lessons. Craig Frazier's stick figure characters contrast well with the round and furry Tofu and his canine friends, with a few humorous touches (Tofu's fireplug pinata), that make this book a good read before a baking lesson or a trip to the bakery for a primary class. Other Tyler stories are Tyler Makes Pancakes! (Tyler and Tofu) and Tyler Makes Spaghetti! (Tyler and Tofu)