Award-winning author and illustrator Julia Sarcone-Roach, There Are No Bears in This Bakery is the tale of Muffin the cat, the self-appointed neighborhood watch or “the whiskers of the neighborhood.”
Against a mouth-watering backdrop of sprinkled donuts, fruit tarts and eclairs, Muffin begins the bakery night shift, listening for every squeak, crunch, snip or flap. But soon a new sound, a disturbing and unfamiliar growl, draws Muffin out to investigate.
The alley is empty, but the bakery window is cracked open “like a crooked smile.” Muffin slips back in and sees the biggest mouse he has ever encountered. But it’s not a big mouse: Seated on the floor of the bakery is a very small bear with a very rumbly tummy.
Muffin tackles the problem at once, breaking out some goodies for the appreciative bear. Then loud snuffling sounds announce something else in the darkness—a huge creature that “smelled like a dumpster on a hot day.” Muffin’s eyes stretch to the size of saucers, and then everything goes dark.
What happens next? You’ll have to gift this book to a lucky child or yourself to find out. Sarcone-Roach’s melding of charming artwork and engaging story are wonderfully done, and the fun-filled, lyrical language will make rereading a pleasure.
