Sunday
May162010
Sweet Reading Sweets
May 16, 2010 Today's Sweets are in honor of National Children's Book Week. They're also for all of us out there who like to complain when a movie ruins the book. ;)
Harry Potter:
Submitted by Dara W., made by Karen's Specialty CakesLord of the Rings: (not exactly a kid's book, but who among us didn't read it in school?)
Not sure if this next one is supposed to be a specific title, but there are several Tinkerbell/Pixie Hollow books out now, in addition to the classic Peter Pan:
Made by Annie at Annie's Art Book.That's hand-painted! And the rope bookmark is darling.
You know we have to have at least one Dr. Seuss title here:
I am so impressed by those circle stripes. They're not fondant; they're a combination of royal and run-in icing. Cool, huh?
Here's a test: can you name this classic book icon?
Sub'd by Sarah E., baker unknownDid you guess?
It's The Giving Tree! Love it.
Another classic:
And check out these sweet Where the Wild Things Are cupcakes:
Sub'd by Cebelamour, made by Claire IssaThe Spiderwick Chronicles:
Sub'd by Trista C., made by Lisa's CakesAnd finally, the book that became one of my favorite movies as a kid:
Sub'd by Heidi E., made by Say it with CakeBonus trivia: Did you know The Neverending Story was originally written in German? It wasn't translated into English until 1983, and the movie was then released in '84. As a kid I didn't realize there even was a book - I discovered and read it sometime in my twenties. (The movie follows the original story almost exactly - a nice surprise!)
Reader Comments (136)
I love these! So cool!
P.S. I'm only putting this P.S. in because I've never been able to before: first!
I remember The Giving Tree, it was so sweet and sad even when I was a kid. ^__^
That giving tree cake made me mist up!
feeling ancient today. I have not read most of these, and only a few were read to my sons when they were little a mere 20 years ago?! Yikes.
They're all great, but I have to say The Never Ending Story cake has to be my favorite.
German, eh? Who knew? Cake Wrecks, so educational.
I LOVE the Neverending Story! And that Lord of the Rings cake is gorgeous with the feather. I love kids books... haven't heard of the Giving Tree before, so I'll have to get on to that.
Great feature! :)
xo
Sure, the movie of The Neverending Story followed the book very closely... until it ends half-way through the story. After that, the book REALLY starts messing with your head.
The Neverending story is much, much longer as a book. The film (and I am only counting the first, because everything after that was a travesty) ends after Bastian gets to Phantasia- the whole story after that, about two thirds of the book, is cut. So I would strongly advise everybody to read the book, because while the movie was true to the part that it told, there is much, much more to the story (also, read Momo, also written by Michael Ende)
There's a Neverending Story book?? I loved that movie growing up...might have to find the book now to read it! :)
Also, Michael Ende hated hated HATED the movie version of The Neverending Story because not only did it end halfway, it tacked on an ending which he did not approve of: Bastian taking revenge against his tormentors.
The book was much better, but then, you know, yeah :-)
Love the 'Neverending Story' cake. One of my favourite movies. Too bad I wasn't aware of the book until long after I'd seen the movie. So, it didn't come out in English until 1983? Wow! Did Michael Ende write anything else, btw?
Speaking as a total Harry Potter junkie, those HP book cakes are *sa-weeeeeeet*! I am deeply impressed with the detail on all of these cakes, and am proud that I've read all except the Tinker Bell book (not sure what that's about, but still totally adorable) Sunday Sweets make everything better, thanks Jenn!
Awesome Sunday Sweets!
The Neverending Story was also one of my favorite childhood movies, I never knew it was a book! (amazon here I come!!)
"Did you know The Neverending Story was originally written in German?"
Being German myself, I knew this, of course. (Die unendliche Geschichte)
Regarding the movie I beg to differ.
I left the cinema very disappointed after seeing a movie that told only the first half of the book.
I dunno... I was named for a character out of Lord of the Rings, and I read voraciously as a kid in school (adult fantasy/sci-fi, even). I *still* didn't make it through LotR until I was 15.
I do love it now, but I just didn't think it was a kid's book :)
(The cakes in today's post are great, of course.)
I can't stand Lord of the Rings (I know, blasphemy), but if there's one good thing to come out of it, it's that cake. Wow!
Also love the Spiderwick and the Neverending Story cakes. So so so pretty!
I not only recognized The Giving Tree, but burst into tears the second I saw it. That is one affective cake!
I love that the Wild Things cake is for someone's 21st birthday :)
The cupcakes are fabulous, too!
Ah, I didn't know that about The Neverending Story! Have to go read the book now. I am reminded again of how much Falkor looks like an Irish Wolfhound.
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Those are all awesome cakes. And although I can appreciate the craftsmanship on The Neverending Story cake, I never liked that movie. In fact, I was downright terrified by the big ugly flying dog...I used to have nightmares. *shudder*
I am only submitting this comment because the WV is: redin!
The german version of The Neverending Story, Die Unendliche Gechichte is much better than the english version. The translation just isn't very good. Even the title is translated wrong. I'd translate is as The Unending Story or The Endless Story, not The Neverending Story.
100% agree with Rob on the Never Ending Story... the second half really does mess with your head. I think it's saying that although dreaming is important, doing too much of it will make you crazy. Which I suppose is true.
Giving Tree, OTOH... at the age of 6 I learned the word "sadomasochistic," though I didn't find out what my mom meant by that until I was much older. I agree with her! Still a beautiful cake.
Oh my...that Giving Tree cake is wonderful. I remember the first time I read that book to my daughters I sobbed all the way through it. They thought I was crazy. I loved it. Beautiful. All the cakes were, of course, but that one was just beautiful. I also love "Oh the Places You'll Go"!
Aaaaaaaah! I've been able to read ever since I was three, and I love it!!! And these cakes are just WONDERFUL!!!
Okay now that I've read that other people cried when they saw the Giving Tree cake, I don't feel silly for admitting that I did too!
One thing I really like about these cakes (other than their general awesomeness, that is) is that they aren't all for children. I love that young adults still want cakes of their favorite books, and not just Twilight. That's the power of great books.
WV: gessol. Gessol have to get some of these books and start re-reading!
The Never-Ending Story gave me and my husband nightmares as children, especially that flying worm-dog thing. I think it didn't help that we both ended up watching the movie while sick with the flu. Nothing like crazy- fever dreams spawned by a children's movie! Neither of us can/will watch that movie (and it's sequel) even as adults. Maybe I'll try reading the book...
Quite possibly my favorite post ever.
The Never-Ending Story gave me and my husband nightmares as children, especially that flying worm-dog thing. I think it didn't help that we both ended up watching the movie while sick with the flu. Nothing like crazy- fever dreams spawned by a children's movie! Neither of us can/will watch that movie (and it's sequel) even as adults. Maybe I'll try working up the nerve to read the book...
Lovely cakes, though there are several books I have not read. I suppose it would be bad minded of me to wonder why the Giving Tree has apples and oak leaves though? :)
Cake and bibliophilia - oh happy dayyyyyy....
Love love LOVE the Harry Potter books! I also adore the Dr.Seuss one and the giving tree one...I Love Sunday sweets!
to LB:
Ende is a rather well-like author of childrens books here. I already recommended Momo, which has some philosophical themes just like The Neverending Story (the former is a story about Time and how it gets stolen while the latter is a story about phatansy and how we determine who we really are).
Less philosophycal and more for children is Jim Button and Luke the Engine driver and Jim Button and the Wild 13. It's about an orphaned boy and his best friend having all kinds of adventures, saving a princess from a dragon and fighting piraes.
The last of his childrens books, and also less philosophical, is The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion. It's about a cat and a raven trying to thwart their master's (a wizard and a witch) plans of, basically, destroying the world. It is perhaps the funniest of his books and greatly recommended.
I have to say that The Never Ending Story cake really got to me. I saw the movie on our first VCR when we first got it. I was pregnant with my son at the time. It was one of the first tapes we ever rented, in fact. We must have watched that movie three or four times that weekend. I completely lost my appetite for violent or gory movies when I was pregnant, it just didn't seem like violence and gore were conducive to creating a life, ya know? My son has just celebrated his 25th birthday, but I've never found any interest in violence and gore in entertainment again. I don't think I'm missing much.
Also, a few years later we rescued a white shitzu who looked EXACTLY like Falcor, so that's what we named him!
I keep holding out to see a good Narnia cake! Some of these are just gorgeous, I love them all!
Bravo for book cakes!
Thanks for sharing this (even if I loathe the giving tree book -- all the others are delightful).
It might be strange to say, but I love how some of these cakes were made for people in their 20s. Awesome cakes! It makes me want to read Never Ending Story again.
The Giving Tree is my all time favorite book. The cake is fantastic.
Love Sunday Sweets!
LOVE The Neverending Story cake. Falcor is so cute!
Speaking of the movie, did you know that Noah Hathaway almost died in the scene in the Swamp of Sadness? When Artax is sinking, he's actually on an elevator. Noah got caught in the vacuum and was pulled under. When they managed to fish him out he was unconscious. Also, when fighting the Gmork he almost lost an eye.
And the second movie follows the second half of the book pretty well.
The Giving Tree makes me cry when I read it. I'm 27.
I never read or saw Lord of the Rings...and I do not regret that decision.
So, my favorite cake is from the book I hated the most.
I mean, come on, the boy takes and takes until the once graceful tree is now a stump. And he never even thinks about the tree unless he needs something. I sure hope my kids don't grow up to be that selfish.
However, it is a classic children's book, and it is stinkin' cute, and it is my favorite cake of the day, so I suppose I'll forgive you for including it. ;)
I have a tear in my eye from The Giving Tree cake. So sweet!
Love these. Real apples on the Giving Tree cake, right? There needs to be more book cakes, if you ask me. Anyone done an e-reader cake yet?
About Neverending Story--did you know The Neverending Story is a German-made film? I never knew that until recently. There's some good behind-the-scenes stuff on YouTube, but for a laugh check out the "alternate ending" by Kusper. Adult-oriented, just so you're warned.
The Giving Tree makes me emotional. That cake is such a loving tribute. Made my day. Thanks. "Courdoroy" by Don Freeman was my favorite book as a child, and if somebody could come up with something, I'd probably cry.
We got out 6 year old daughter The Giving Tree for Christmas... she thought it was a very sad story. It really is. The cake was fantastic!
We like to tell our bunny (an albino mini rex) that Falcor from The Neverending Story is his father. He's not generally amused with our jokes.
I love this website & I look at it every day, but I've never posted a comment.
All of these cakes are absolutely amazing, but am I the only person to notice that on the Harry Potter cake, the top actually says "Hapry Potter"?
I love the Neverending Story cake! Falkor is so adorable.
The movie was interesting...I found it very different from the book in some respects - for one thing, was anyone else convinced that the name that Bastian gives the Childlike Empress at the end was his mother's name? I was really surprised when I read the book and found out what name he actually gives her. Also I agree with Rob about how the second half screws with your head...but it's amazing.