What wonderful memories of reading this book as a child! My oldest sister would bring me and my siblings to the library. We would sit in the corner and read The Duchess Bakes A Cake. The rhymes quickly capture a child's attention. The book is an engaging tale of the royal Duchess' mishap in the kitchen. Solving the problem was difficult because their poor brains were such that they hadn't thought often and they hadn't thought much. My own children quickly learned the chorus,so to speak, of the lovely light lucious delectable cake. I know they, too, will treasure this memorable book.

I bake a lot, and so my kids have heard all about the Duchess and her cake. If I could only show them the actual book, which for me, exists only as an ephemeral memory, and for my kids, is only a concept. They have never enjoyed reading the book, or relished the great illustrations.

I checked this book out of the library numerous times as a child and I wish it were in print. The story is quite simple but highly imaginative. It is the music in the poetry that makes this book a delight. This was written before any thought was given to "dumbing down" children's books and the vocabulary is surprisingly advanced. Not only does the Duchess set out to bake "a lovely, light, luscious, delectable cake" but my very favorite line when I was a child was where the Duke exclaims "I fear an improper proportion of leaven has carried our dear Duchess right up to heaven!" The uncomplicated illustrations do a good job of supporting the story.

My six children all loved this story of how a village woman would make one pancake for anyone but when they praised it and asked for another, she refused. Then a stranger came to the village, asked for a pancake and said it was very good, but... Perplexed she made another and got a similar response. Then another and another until the man had had his fill and finally said that that last one was a perfect pancake. So she could finally stop. Our youngest daughter claims that when we made her we could finally stop because she was the 'perfect pancake.' She's now 35 and teaches school. She has many children's books but not this one. Tell the publisher there's a good market for this book. Tell them to stop being like the women in the story and republish the book so we can all enjoy more Perfect Pancakes.

The Perfect Pancake was one of my favorite books as a child. To tell the truth I would love to have copies of all her books in my home right now. She was one of the reasons that I learned to read, and one of the reasons that I love to discover new authors. This book's title says it all, it's a simple story, told with humor, and as usual, delightful old fashioned illustrations. Along with The Dutchess Bakes a Cake, the Perfect Pancake is Kahl's joyous tribute to food, and the joys of the kitchen. Hey all you Virginia Kahl fans, let's demand that her books be made readily available again ! Is Ms. Kahl still alive? Love to hear from her, or those who knew her in this forum...

Our adorable children are at times handfuls... and that is just what the sneaky Baron finds out when he kidnaps the Duke and Dutchess' children. What begins as the Baron's great scheme to gain riches slowly turns into a plea from the Baron for mercy as he slowly sends children back to the Duke having been overcome by their rumpus and mischief. It is a fun book from cover to cover and a must read for children 5 to 8.

As delightful as The Duchess Bakes a Cake, Plum Pudding for Christmas involves a duchess dilemma, with Gunhilde close by. The queen wants plum pudding, but there are no plums. This is another great story by Virginia Kahl.

The villagers come up with clever ways to convince authorities that one cat is really many different cats. Repeating the features encourages children to learn and memorize.

I really liked this book as a kid. The art is clear and bright, and the story about a boy learning monsters _do_ exist but not getting hurt by them was oddly comforting to me as a child.