One Cake, Two Cakes, Cat Cake, Hat Cake

Guess who has a supporting role in an upcoming episode of CAKE BOSS?  That’s right – First Book!  Newark Mayor Cory Booker and the Cat in the Hat worked alongside CAKE BOSS Buddy Valastro to help bring thousands of books to kids in Newark.  But concocting a culinary confection honoring the good Doctor is no small feat.  Did fur and frosting fly?  Did Cory Booker trade his usual Superman cape for the iconic striped hat?  Tune in to find out!  The episode airs tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST on TLC.

How did First Book end up in such esteemed company?  As regular readers of this blog will recall, First Book participated in a very special Read Across America celebration this March in Newark.  Working with some great local partners (like the Foundation for Newark’s Future, New Jersey After 3, and Anne Feeley), First Book helped the My Very Own Library initiative provide almost 60,000 brand-new books to students at eight Title I public schools in Newark.

In addition to receiving great books that they got to select themselves, the “icing on the cake” for the kids was a visit from Buddy Valastro and the team from Carlo’s bakery.  Buddy talked about Dr. Seuss and the power of reading and imagination before unveiling an amazing, multi-tiered, whirling Dr. Seuss-inspired cake that he and his crew dreamed up and created for the event.

We think you’ll agree that the final creation was truly amazing.  And from being there to see and taste the final results, we can report that it was delicious.  The best part, though, was seeing the kids’ faces as they sat down with their brand new books and cake.  One child looked so excited we feared he was going to topple over!  Instead, he carefully sat down, took a bite, then opened his book and began to read.

If you’d like to support First Book’s work, volunteer in your community, or sign up your Title I school or local nonprofit to get new books, we’d love to hear from you.