Review - The Country Bake-Off

The Country Bake-Off
by Riya Aarini
illustrated by Evgeniya Kozhevnikova
Date: 2022
Publisher: Riya Aarini
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Mouse Country is about to hold its famous Country Bake-Off! Joyful Jazella is eager to enter the competition. But Proud Pazenna has an extravagant kitchen and fancy spices—and is sure she’ll take home the prize. Will Jazella’s cake impress the judges, or will Pazenna outbake her?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Two very different mice compete in a baking competition. Who will win?

I really like the message here about doing things in an authentic way. Proud Pazenna is a privileged mouse who thinks that, because she has the best ingredients and equipment, she should be able to whip something together and win the baking contest. Joyful Jazella, on the other hand, uses humble ingredients and pure intentions to bake her cake. Which one turns out better? I'm sure you can guess.

There are a few strange inconsistencies with the illustrations (such as when Pazenna uses what looks like a human-sized oven in her own kitchen and then bakes a cake that nearly touches the ceiling), but I'm not sure if kids will notice. The illustrations are otherwise charming, with some cute details.

Overall, I like this one because of the message. Privilege and pride won't always get you what you want. Hard work and careful attention just might. These two murine characters learn that lesson in an easy-to-understand way. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Riya Aarini for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5