Kirkus Reviews has completed a review of my Children’s Book ‘The Queen Bakes a Pie’ Check out what they had to say
“In this debut children’s book, a queen’s family encourages her to overcome self-doubt and enter a bake-off.
Princess Emersen, dark-skinned like her father, the king, lives in a beautiful castle with her royal parents and
Prince, her miniature pet dragon. She’s excited when her blond, fair-skinned mother gets an invitation to the
yearly Queen’s Baking Competition. The queen has always wanted to enter a pie but never has, worried that
her effort won’t pass muster. The king suggests someone who can help: Grandma. She brings the queen her
“top-secret, first-place–winning pie recipe! And a map,” explaining that they must all go on an obstacle-filled
quest to gather the ingredients. Their first stop is “Sugar Flake Mountain,” followed by the “Great Wheat Field”
and the “giggling blueberry bushes.” Throughout, the family works together to help the queen, both on the
expedition and in the kitchen. Confident she’s done her best, the queen feels “like a winner” even before the
competition starts. In her enjoyable book, Kelly gives a new twist to the usual story of parents encouraging
reluctant kids to test themselves. The quest also gives the family a chance to demonstrate problem-solving
skills, such as figuring out how to cross a precarious plank-and-rope bridge. Fortunately, the inspirational
messages aren’t overly obvious thanks to the plot’s comical escapades and vivid writing: “The air became
cool, and as a gentle breeze swirled through the sky, it tickled Prince’s nose, which caused him to sneeze a
little bit of fire.” The author misses a big humor opportunity, though, when she doesn’t say which knock-knock
joke Emersen tells to make the blueberries giggle. Debut illustrator Tkachyk employs the style of cheerfully
bright but unrefined children’s drawings in crayon or colored pencil.
A fun family adventure told with humor and sweetness.” – Kirkus Reviews