A bedtime story takes some dramatic turns, but thanks to some quick parental thinking, ends as it should in this cozy daddy-daughter exchange. A comfy tale of a princess and her teddy at tea shows signs of spinning out of control as young Rosie interrupts to fret out loud: What if a fire-breathing dragon came? And its parents? What if they became really annoyed? Happily, her father has an answer for each worry, beginning with the timely arrival of a prince and ending with prince and princess diverting their huge green pursuers by whipping up “the gooiest, stickiest, yummiest, scrummiest, most gobblesome chocolate cake in the whole wide world.” Kemp alternates increasingly small bedside vignettes with increasingly large and messy scenes of gustatory carnage, then closes with an imaginary cleaning-up and real yawns. A captivating demonstration of low-tech interactive storytelling. (Picture book. 6-8)
