Seasonal Picture Book: Wintercake – Mistakes can sometimes lead to beautiful things!

26th January 2021

As winter nears, is the city you live in snowing? Nature’s wonderful gift to us is the experience of seasonal climates and scenery. This seasonal title is an interesting story about friendship, authored and illustrated by Newbery Medalist Lynne Rae Perkins. Wintercake is perfect for children ages 4-6 to learn about winter and holiday traditions!

Wintercake features three animals: adorable and fuzzy Thomas, his taller friend Tobin and a lively little bird named Lucy. When Thomas is too indulged in the beautiful winter surroundings he loses his basket of dried fruit for making seasonal fruitcakes on Winter’s Eve. A stranger Tobin saves the day by returning the basket, and Lucy and Thomas come to realize that they have mistaken this stranger for a thief. To thank this kind stranger they bake a delicious fruitcake and make their way to deliver the cake. Despite the little “hiccups” in between, this story tells us mistakes sometimes can lead to a beautiful friendship and even sweet delicious cake!

In the picture book, there are instructions on how to bake a delicious winter cake. Using a chiffon cake or large cookie as a base, the chef can add on dried fruits such as apricots and cranberries and cover with thick white icing for a homemade edible winter slope! In western cultures, it is a holiday tradition to share home-baked goodies with extended family, friends, and neighbours to show some love. If there is no one at home to receive the gift, the giver simply leaves on the doorstep with a note: Happy holidays! Boys and girls, we can experience these foreign holiday traditions too! Although we live in a different region and culture, how about sending a fruitcake to surprise our loved ones?

This story encapsulates careless assumptions about strangers can be very wrong. Thomas and Lucy demonstrate a wonderful example of acknowledging mistakes and offering a sincere apology. Strangers should be approached genuinely but with caution. We should use our critical and logical thinking, instead of reaching hasty conclusions. Strangers can be kind-hearted and come with good intentions too.

No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Our role is to guide children to acknowledge their mistakes with a positive outlook, instead of dwelling on negative emotions. With the correct mindset, mistakes can be a positive input in a child’s life!

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Photo Credit:
1. https://kidsbookaday.com/2019/10/30/wintercake-by-lynne-rae-perkins/
2. https://www.sohu.com/a/207397023_355207