This review was prepared by Michele Sornsen of A Big Cup of Tea.

Megan Hearts Baking, written by Kathryn Fore and Kimberly Fate, is the first book in a new series of books geared towards young girls that promotes self esteem and self-confidence.

The book follows Megan through an emotional roller coaster as she tackles her biggest fear head on; baking. Megan had a bad experience with baking in the past and had decided to let the one sour apple spoil the bunch and gave up on baking. She finds herself invited to an exciting party; however party guests are to bring a homemade treat for sharing. This leaves Megan feeling anxious and worried that she will again fail at baking.

Despite Megan’s apprehension and fear, Megan and her mother work through the task of baking special cupcakes for Megan to bring along to the party. The book highlights not only aspects of courage, determination and confidence, but also shows how having a strong support system to back you up can speak volumes.

The book’s illustrations, done by Ying Xie, are captivating. I found myself studying each picture for minutes at a time. The color and detail of the pictures left me feeling excited for what would be on the next page.

While the text is easy to read and follow, I found the book to be simply drawn out. It is almost 100 pages and it did not keep the interest of my ten year old daughter. It may be better suited for younger girls, possibly between the ages of five and seven years old. While details are important in baking, I felt that there were almost too many “baking details” in the story-telling aspect of it. I also found the dialogue to be unrealistic between a girl Megan’s age and a mother. This book may better hold the interest of young girls if it were to be read in small daily spurts, perhaps a chapter each night.

Megan Hearts Baking wraps up deliciously with several recipes that are shared by women who have a passion for baking and applied all of their heart and soul into reaching their goals of becoming professional bakers. Included in the recipes, is the recipe that Megan and her mother had “made” in the story. What a clever addition to the book!