Member Reviews

This is a simple book designed to teach children to be grateful for the things in their everyday lives. It accomplishes this nicely on a level young children can easily understand. I adored the illustrations and the recipe at the end was a nice touch.

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This is a gorgeous children's book. Simple story to be read to and then progressing to read by younger children. perfect gift for a child in your life.

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This is a charming little book for children! "Apple Cake: A Gratitude" has such lovely illustrations and contains an important message of having a thankful heart. This book teaches children to be grateful for everything in their lives, even the smallest things. I don't have children of my own yet, however if I were to have children, I would absolutely want to read this to them around the ages of 4-7.

I look forward to trying out the recipe for apple cake at the end of this book.

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This is a sweet, rhyming picture book perfectly suited for Thanksgiving and themes of gratitude.

The text reads like a secular dinnertime grace (Thank you, hedge, / Thank you, tree. / Thank you, flower, / Thank you, bee. / Thank you, rain, / Thank you, sun. / Thank you, farmers, /everyone....) that acknowledges the people and parts of nature needed to provide our food -- or in this case, our dessert. Lovely illustrations accompany the text, showing a little girl giving thanks to a cow, rain, sun, chickens, etc. for all the ingredients that her family uses at the end to make an apple cake. On the last pages, there's a recipe for an apple cake from scratch that uses the ingredients mentioned in the story. As a bonus for some, the recipe is gluten free and paleo since it's nut based (ground almonds or hazelnuts... you could also try it with acorn flour), though it is not vegan since it uses eggs and honey.

The text is very simple, making this a very short read-aloud for young children. The artwork is sweet and inviting. It's also a good lesson for kids about where our food comes from and an example of food independence (the family grows, raises or forages all the ingredients for the apple cake), along with a subtle message about stewardship of nature.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

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This is a lovely little picture book about a girl who is giving thanks to everyone and everything that make an apple cake possible. It has a nice rhythm and rhyme to it and it would make a lovely bed time time story. The pictures are quiet and peaceful. It's a nice book.

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Apple Cake is a great read for children especially in showing them gratitude towards everything and everyone, especially for the processes that get food on the table and family around it to enjoy. This will make a beautiful gift for children during the holidays. The illustrations are pretty and the content is well written.

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A cute album that also serves as a cooking recipe! ^^

In this short book, we find an apple pie recipe. But before this last one, there is a whole series of thanks for all the ingredients composing it: the hens that lay the eggs, the land that shelters the trees, the last ones on which grow the apples ...
Behind this swarm of gratitude, we discover a light way to show the simple things in life that make us happy.

So it's a nice album, very sweet illustrations and the message that is just as much!
See you on September 24, 2019, to discover it in American bookstores. ^^

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"Apple Cake: A Gratitude" by Dawn Casey was a sweet, short children's picture book about being thankful. It is about a young girl who goes around to all the things she loves in the world to thank them.

Gratitude is a crucial thing to teach kids. It is so important for children to learn at a young age to be thankful for what they have, and for all the world surrounding them.

As an added bonus there is a recipe to make apple cake on the last page of the book. One more thing to be thankful for ;-)

I received this eBook free of charge from Quarto Publishing Group – Francis Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

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Apple Cake: A Gratitude is a beautiful, simple and sweet book about gratitude. It would be great for families looking for a non-religious "prayer" to say before meals or at bedtime, as a way to encourage gratitude and appreciation for nature and the work that many, many people do to make our lives easier each day. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I love, love Geneviève Godbout's art style.

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This is a cute and simple rhyming book that has a powerful message. As you read you realize that the child is thanking all of these various things.... an apple, flower, bees, etc. Then you realize that everything that is being thanked is all part of a cycle that helps create the ingredients for apple cake.

It is a great way to show young children that not everything comes from the grocery store. Those items have a purpose and it is so much more then just sitting on a shelf. It also shows the fragile connection that can be so easily broken if we do not show it respect and care.

And the surprise recipe for apple cake is a great touch. It can easily allow for the gratitude to continue as parents are making apple cake with their children.

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With beautiful illustrations, and a recipe in the back, this is a perfect quick read for toddlers and twos, and a perfect way to introduce a cooking project for older children, or a way to start a discussion on how many different people and things are involved with helping to make the food they eat.

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This book is a very quick read (so perfect for 24 months and younger - but there is enough for older kids to enjoy too). The illustrations are absolutely GORGEOUS and are perfectly matched to this delightful read. It's a book all about gratitude and it sure was refreshing to read as well as remind me personally, that I need to focus on this with my child. There are so many things that we just have and I don't spend enough time remembering that.

For anyone who loves the topic in general and or appreciates nature and all that is provides for us - this is a perfect book for you. A wonderful gift for the upcoming fall as it also includes a recipe for Apple Cake in the back!

Thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and Dawn Casey for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book!

Review Date: 08/09/19
Publication Date: 09/24/19

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The verses are simple and rhyme in a logical manner making this a perfect book for circle time and an intro to fall or apple unit. Kids will love this as a bedtime book as well.

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This is an adorable story about being thankful for all that you have. I thought that the art was beautiful, and really gave the story a magical quality. I loved the page with the little girl hugging the cow. The recipe at the end for Apple Cake was a very nice touch!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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This sweet rhyming book is a great reminder of something we don't do nearly enough... be thankful for the blessings around us.

"Thank you, hedge, / Thank you, tree. / Thank you, flower, / Thank you, bee. / Thank you, rain, / Thank you, sun. / Thank you, farmers, / every one."


A little girl and her doggie are out on a mission. Her mother wants to bake a special cake for the family and the wee girl has the important task of gathering all the ingredients needed to do just that. She scoops up hazelnuts, picks apples from the tree, choses fresh eggs from the hens and milk from the cow. After collecting each donation the little girl says thank you to each contributor. Finally she has all the necessary ingredients that is needed and she returns home with her precious bounty.

Mother peels the apples and mixes up the cake batter then... voilà a beautiful apple cake appears to the delight of all!

The illustrations are beautiful and the colour pallet is soft and enchanting. The book is a reminder to always be grateful for ordinary things that we just take for granted. This book would be perfect to read at fall harvest time or included in a Thanksgiving theme. A recipe for apple cake at the end of book allows the reader to indulge also with a grateful heart. I love the life lesson this book provides and the reminder the we are to give thanks for everything now matter how big or small. I highly recommend this book.

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A short, beautiful read that would be perfect for bedtime. The illustrations are stunning and something I could imaging being turned into an animated short. There’s an added bonus of a recipe for an Apple Pie.

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This was an absolutely precious children's book with stunning illustrations!

I imagine this story of gratitude will help children appreciate the world around them. The fact that it ended with the family using everything the child gathered to bake something (plus including the child-friendly recipe) was a really nice touch!

My only wish was that it was a bit longer and the reader was able to connect more with the main character!

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A beautiful short story about giving thanks. I liked the illustrations. The book concludes with an Apple Cake recipe

Thank you to Dawn Casey, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Exactly what it says in the title. All about being thankful for apple cake with a recipe for apple cake at the end of the book. Pretty standard with some eye-catching pictures.

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This charming early picture book follows a young child and her dog as they walk through nature and farms collecting everything they need to make apple cake. The idea of giving thanks for all the gifts of nature and friendship is conveyed clearly throughout the book. The illustrations are beautifully done and will engage young readers and listeners. The recipe at the end of the book looks delicious and would be a fun extension activity. Great for a preschool read aloud or classroom library addition for K-1 classrooms.

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