"This story details the job of a baker beautifully for young children. Captivating and detailed illustrations. This is a great career book for a young child’s library at home, in the classroom, and for the school and public library." - ITEEA
"I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love all books by author Slegers. The books are easy to read and have fun illustrations and this one about what a baker does is so cute." - Fairfield County District Library
"My baking obsessed three year old LOVED this book! It was cute and informative with adorable illustrations. She especially loved the part where she could point and identify the different kitchen/baking objects. This was a big hit in our house!" - Kitchener Public Library
"Bestselling author-illustrator Slegers returns with the Professions Series, focusing this time on bakers. While Slegers is a full-time graphic designer, she never resorts to computers in books written for children, innately understanding that toddlers connect most with human illustrations, often the very materials they are able to use (crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, etc.). It is what makes her illustrations so charming--they aren't as commonplace as the Pixar-style, computer-generated illustrations seen in many children's books today.
The book opens a window for children to the jobs of bakers--how they actually begin their shifts in the middle of the night because they must begin long before customers arrive, the tools they use, etc. Depending on the age of the child, Bakers and What they Do really helps kids to at least become more aware of the processes that occur in the kitchen and for the more aware, ask questions about the day-to-day of bakers and what is involved in baking. Slegers has been writing about multiple jobs for years now in her Professions Series and this is a welcome addition. The Kevin and Katie series is another worthwhile book series by the same author, often investigating a series of events that involve a child's emotions. Her books really bring a warm sense of nostalgia--the smell of fresh food at a bakery--but also help parents have a dialogue about things that are important to children like feelings and what grownups do every day.
There was one section that may be slightly confusing for the aware child, as she writes about bakers continuing to work while shopkeepers conduct business with customers. It might have been helpful to have the baker in the background of the illustration or an additional illustration of the baker continuing work, even after the bakery opens. However, this is a minor quibble. I can honestly say I went out and purchased a book by the author after reading this advance copy." -
Erich Hilkert
