Wordless Picture Book: Where is the Cake?

Title: Where is the Cake?
Author: T. T. Khing
Publication: 2004

Where is the Cake is about two dogs' cake being stolen and their adventure through different scenery to find it. However, I feel like I could flip through this book multiple times and find something new. There is definitely a main plot going on, which as a reader your eye is drawn too. However, there are small, subordinate plots taking place within the story. There is a plot about some frogs playing soccer and what looks to be a cat, stealing it from them because they accidentally hit him in the head. I love soccer, so I automatically picked up on this secondary plot. However, if you saw the family sitting off to the top right of the first page, you may have followed their story of the little piggy (their son) running away.

I love that there is so much going on in the book, however a reader could feel sensory overload while reading it. I almost get overwhelmed because I feel like I'm not getting every detail, and I am even an adult reader. However, I don't think the author's point is to have the reader get every story/plot the first time through. The idea is for the reader to hopefully pick up the book multiple times and learn something new each read. I think this is a brilliant idea and a great way for kids to gain an affiliation for certain books and a love for reading.

This book would be difficult to use in a whole-class session or lesson. However, in smaller groups I think this book would be great to use for reader collaboration. I could have two or three people reading this book together and have them collaborate and talk about what they are seeing or noticing. By having those other voices say, "Oh, what about this, etc.," readers find new things they maybe wouldn't have noticed on their own. This could be a good lesson on how readers can collaborate and work together to find solutions to problems. If students learn to pick up things from one another, then they will hopefully learn that working together can be a positive experience and a solution to one's problems in the classroom or life in general.