'Apple Cake: A Gratitude' by Dawn Casey is a heartwarming picture book that follows a child expressing gratitude for the gifts of nature. Through simple rhymes and charming illustrations, the book teaches children the importance of being thankful for the little things in life.

What a delightful little book for readers of all ages! The illustrations are fabulous and I think the title is simply adorable.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I am an ENORMOUS fan of Geneviève Godbout. She is one of my top three children's illustrators. I will purchase anything that she has had her hand in...which is how I ended up reading 'Apple Cake' by Dawn Casey.

While Godbout's illustrations are gorgeous, as always, I was less impressed with the writing. While I can appreciate the sentiment behind the idea of gratuity which Casey was going for, it just came off as choppy and awkward instead.

Again, while Godbout's illustrations were a 5 star rating, the writing itself was more of a 2...so I will meet in the middle and give it a 3 out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's an adorable lovely illustrated book focused on thankfulness. The theme fits Thanksgiving and also allows to read it during leadership lessons about thankfulness in schools.

This book reads like a prayer for any harvest party! Being a pagan, I appreciate a good one that is inclusive of all of us. I am going to be reading this at our harvest dinner in November. Just a beautifully written and rhymed story of thankfulness. The illustrations were soft, pastels. All ages should read this one. Kudos Dawn Casey! Lovely book. (It would make a wonderful gift, too!
I found a copy at my local library as I couldn't download to my Kindle.

Apple Cake, might be the perfect fall/thanksgiving book. I loved the beautiful pastel drawings and poetic, simple words. The addition of the apple cake recipe is just the cherry on top. I will definitely be adding this to our family library.

Beautiful art, wonderful message, I would say grandparents would love buying this one for their grandbabies.

Apple Cake: A Gratitude is a beautifully illustrated, simple, gentle story for the youngest readers (infant through 5-6 years). Released 24th Sept 2019 by Quarto on their Frances Lincoln children's imprint, it's 32 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The short rhyming text is inset in each page, thanking each provider of the ingredients in the apple cake in the title. It's typeset in Memphis typeface, which is both clear and easily read and allows the art to take center stage. The art, by Genevieve Godbout, is rendered in pastel and colored pencil and is sweetly whimsical and has a nostalgic vibe, following the creation of a cake and being thankful for the simplest gifts.

This would make a lovely reading circle selection for both classroom or library groups, as well as a great bedtime / read-to-me book. There is also a recipe for apple cake included at the back of the book. It's gluten free (utilizing nut flours), and vegetarian (not vegan) friendly. It uses honey for sweetening, so substitutions would need to be made to make it vegan.

Four stars. Lovely presentation, sweetly written and illustrated, with a gentle positive message.

With Autumn here, it’s harvest time. This book is charming. Simple but heartfelt with warm, welcoming, and wonderful illustrations, it’s a great way to show children just how many plants and animals are needed in order to make — the Apple Cake! It also has a recipe at the end which I’m eager to try so I can say my own own thank you’s to the bees, trees, weather, and cows who provided the ingredients. A-

'Apple Cake: A Gratitude' by Dawn Casey with illustrations by Genevieve Godbout is a simple rhyming picture book with a message about being grateful.

A young child wanders outside with a huge satisfied smile on her face. She is thankful for all that she sees from hedges to bees to even the rain. She is thankful for all the things that provide food, and her friends. We find out her journey has been showing many of the things that go into making apple cake. The book ends with a recipe to make apple cake.

I love this rhyming journey of gratitude. I especially love the illustrations by Genevieve Godbout. They are lush and beautiful. I'm a big fan of anything she illustrates.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Sweet and simple, while staying grounded and thankful, Apple Cake is a lovely ode to all things, little and big, necessary in making a delicious homemade apple cake. From the life-giving Earth and bountiful plants it feeds, through to hard-working farmers and friends with an offer of help, Casey encourages readers to remember and express gratitude to those indispensable to celebrating and partaking in a tasty lunch or dinner with our loved ones.

The text is easy enough for a still-unconfident reader to take on independently, tied together with pleasant rhyme and warmly illustrated by pretty, animation-like pastel pictures with a calm, subdued colour palette.

The accompanying recipe includes dairy-free and coeliac-friendly options, as well as advice on setting up children to safely help out in preparing the cake.

An adorable idea well executed!

A beautifully illustrated book that drew me in so it will definitely pull a child’s attention in, teaches children important lessons about life and nature along with the rhyme, enthralling for adult and child alike

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Apple Cake is a beautifully illustrated book written in rhyme about Gratitude/Thankfulness. With Thanksgiving around the corner, this is a wonderful book to have in homes, classrooms and churches. It is simple little story with a wonderful message. The idea of being grateful to nature, people and the world for all the things we have, using something as simple as Apple Cake is wonderful. The story is told in a very simple rhyme with only a couple of lines accompanied by beautiful watercolour illustrations. Apple Cake shows children what they can be thankful for, whether big or small. I love the recipe for Apple Cake at the back of the book. When I read this to my grandchildren, they wanted to talk about the illustrations and what was happening in them. They talked about how they say "Grace" before they eat and that is being grateful and I agreed. We are hoping to make Apple Cake when the apples are harvested in a week or so.

*thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and Dawn Casey for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

Apple Cake is a cute picture book written in rhyme about Gratitude. It's a rather simple little story with a big positive message. It's easy for very young children to be able to follow as there are not many words. This however does not make it anything less than superb. The illustrations are stunning. They have such a beautiful softness to it that I want to reach out and touch them. I think of this style of artwork as comforting which is just perfect for the message being sent in a picture book. I also want to add that this cover is gorgeous. I love the colouring of it.

Apple Cake shows children what they can be thankful for. That it can be something big or small. This is a sweet little book that I would share with children of all ages.

Love this sweet rhyming book about gratitude. This will make a perfect addition to any teacher's Thanksgiving unit. I can't wait to read it with my own kids. The illustrations are beautiful!

I loved this book on gratitude! The simple rhyming story is well written and beautifully illustrated! It is so important for children to appreciate the world around them. And the recipe at the end is such a lovely surprise! I can hardly wait to read this book with my children!
Thank you to Net Galley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!

A beautiful picture book encouraging young children to think about the things they are thankful for.

Perfect for the harvest season, this book uses simple rhyme and a repetitive structure to express thanks for all that goes into an apple cake, from the ground the apples grow from to the people who make and share a cake.

I am confident this book could be used in a primary classroom to get children thinking about all they are thankful for. With a younger class children could read the story and talk about what they are grateful for, while in an older class, children could write their own rhymes. It could also be used as a starting point for exploring where food comes from.

I'm even considering following the recipe provided (once I've converted the imperial measures!) to share in the staff room tomorrow!

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet and simple book about gratitude for the many little things around us! I love that at the end there is a recipe to make apple cake that allows the both the child and adult to prepare together. This would be a great gift for those who love to spend time in the kitchen with their little ones!

Thank you, Quarto and NetGalley!

This is a delightful book for young readers. The illustrations are lovely. My daughters loved this book and we highly recommend it.