Sand Cake

Baby Bear

by Frank Asch

On a hot summer day, the Bear family goes to the beach, but Baby Bear soon gets restless and decides to make a cake which turns out to be not exactly to his taste

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Summer, Kids, Fiction, Family

48 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Frank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.

Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.

Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.

He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.

Reviews

[Kaylee Klaassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Range: PreK - 3rd

I thought this book was really cute! I loved how the bears used their imagination to make a cake when they were at the beach! The dad started out using his imagination first, but by the end the baby bear learned how to use his own imagination. This book teaches the lesson that everyone has an imagination. The baby bear was rewarded for using his imagination by getting to eat a piece of real cake! Overall, very cute book!

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute simple book for preschoolers. Sarcasm meets sarcasm. This is my third Asch "bear book." I am not impressed. I would never have bought a book like this for my daughter. Maybe, just maybe I would have borrowed it from a library. But probably not since there are so many other nicer books out there.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Asch’s bear family characters and how Papa Bear encourages and fosters Baby Bear’s imagination and creativity. Yay for parents that do that! Plus, who doesn’t love the beach? Another cool feature in this title is the end page, which contains ideas for helping enrich the development of creativity in all children.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun simple picture book that would probably really work well in storytimes. It's about a little bear who challenges his dad to make a cake at the beach with eggs, milk, and flour... but where do you get those kinds of ingredients at the beach? Enter imagination. A simple, yet clever little story. My rating - 3/5

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative way to bake and eat a cake at the beach. Fun story! Very creative! Good for Baby bear.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for family, food, summer, or beach themed storytimes.

[Vivian Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read a different edition than the profile picture. The story itself may read a little "creative" for my almost 3-year-old.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa bear and baby bear are making a cake during their day at the beach. fun and imaginative. preschool and up

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!

[Debra Arndt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Frank Asch books even now.

[Shannon Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites!

[Lynnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story is cute and kind of funny. my toddler loves it because there aren't very many words on a page and it's easy to follow. the illustrations are lame though.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love finding old books to read to my kids as well as new books. This is one of those old books that kids can read over and over. The illustrations are simple but extremely colorful. This book kept several preschool girls listening to the book. The words were simple that a young elementary kid could read on their own. But not too simple that an adult wouldn't get too bored reading over and over again. The kids really enjoyed listening to the book. I recommend checking out some of the older published books.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and loved Baby Bear books since my own children were babies, and my classroom always had a collection of Baby Bear books for independent reading. I know from first hand experience how much children love Baby Bear. And I am so excited to see a new publication of Sand Cake coming out next year. It is sure to capture the hearts of the next generation of readers! http://julianaleewriter.com/2014/08/1...

[Fjóla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and creative! My son enjoyed spotting a different floating vessel in the background on each page too ...
We also love Happy Birthday, Moon and Bear Shadow.

[ShanTil]

You know those books that you adored when you were little but you have zero memory of the titles or authors? This is one of those books for me, or it was until I found it earlier when I was shelving in the children's room at the library and then I almost cried with joy. I LOVED Baby Bear stories, particularly this endearing and clever tale. Totally brightened my day :)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of a baby bear who asked his father if he'd eat a cake that he made. Father said he would if it included eggs, flour, and milk. Baby bear didn't know how he was going to get these items at the beach, but Father showed him that using a little imagination, it could be done!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful children's book about using your imagination.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good for inspiring creative thought processes.

[Daniel G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I loved the MOST because it always made me hungry from the cake. (made of sand which looked like dough)

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this story as a "tell & draw" which always engages the audience with rapt attention. It is out of print so if you want to add this to your repertoire you'll need to I.L.L. or Amazon a copy.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story with great imagination but to small to use for story time
Papa Bear uses his culinary skills and a little imagination to concoct a sand cake.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story about imaginative, creative play.

[T Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of wonderful surprises. Beloved by preschoolers and enjoyed by the adults who read it over and over again

[Claire CUI · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you need some ideas on how to play with kids at the beach, this book will be really helpful. At least myself is very much inspired by the book:)

[Library To-Go · Rating 5 out of 5]

05/14/25 - Play & Lear, PediaTrust - JB
7/10/25 - Port Wonder -PWP

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, childhood faaaaavourite ♥