How We Share Cake

From the creator of multi-award-winning I Am the Subway. 

We are three sisters and two brothers.

This is a story about how we can’t eat this cake alone.

A new picture book by Kim Hyo Eun, author of I Am the Subway (2021 World Illustration Award and The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award) Kim Hyo Eun, is the second daughter of five brothers and sisters, and shares the joys and battles of sharing and compromising in a family of five children.

*A Korean bestseller: A picture book with a universal message, beautifully translated.
*Superstar translator: Booker Prize–winning translator, Deborah Smith.
*A funny and warm tale: Speaks to the experience of growing up with siblings.

==================================

‘Sharing isn’t always caring, but affection and scheming go hand in hand in this sweetly hilarious tale.’ -Kirkus Reviews, ‘Best Books of the Year’

‘In a family of five siblings, this book’s narrator — the second-oldest — describes how “we can split anything” … Kim employs pencil and watercolour textures in sweetly amusing spreads that show how a wealth of items are allotted, in this moving work about divisions and connections.’ -Publishers Weekly, starred review

‘Kim Hyo-eun's delicious How We Share Cake, her second Korean import after the award-winning I Am the Subway … focuses on the pursuit of familial fairness … stylised pencil, watercolour, and collage illustrations — outlined in black and white, strategically enhanced with detailed colours and patterns — are reminiscent of comic panels with their generous use of white space, whimsy, and humour.’ -Shelf Awareness, starred review

‘In this clever, humorous Korean import, a young girl describes how she and her two brothers and two sisters share things fairly.’ -Horn Book Review, starred review

‘This picture book is translated from Korean, with a few Korean words remaining for keen readers to learn. The story functions as an entertaining introduction to maths while beautifully capturing and celebrating family. For ages 3+.’ -Kim Gruschow / Readings Monthly

‘This is a gorgeously funny book about the timeless struggle for fairness and justice between siblings. It captures the delightful quirks of family dynamics — the way siblings must jostle along together most of the time, and how special it is when, every now and then, each person gets their time in the sun.’ -Alice Ellerby / JUNO Magazine

‘How We Share Cake is a joyful and sometimes hilarious portrait of family life told with a sense of fun and, most importantly, love. It will appeal to young readers regardless of the size of their own families because learning to share is something all children will relate to. It is a great story and one that will also support understanding of mathematical concepts too, rooting division firmly in real life experiences. This is particularly suited to readers in Key Stage 1 but could also be shared in Early Years. Highly recommended.’ -Sam Keeley / Just Imagine

‘Kim Hyo-eun brilliantly captures the essence of family dynamics in this outstanding story. A heart-felt, joy-filled delight.’ -Louise Ellis-Barrett / Armadillo Children’s Books

‘Sharing is a hard concept to understand for young children, whether it is at home or at school and this is tackled here with so much empathy, humour, and sweetness.’ -Shelf Editions

‘This is a book to share, both as a family and even more, perhaps, in a classroom where it could give rise to interesting comment and discussion.’ -Books for Keeps

Kim Hyo-eun studied textile design at college and illustration at the Ibpil Future Illustration Research Institute. Books written and illustrated by Kim Hyo-eun include I Am the Subway. Picture books with illustrations created by Kim include A Baby on a Train, A Starry Flower Wall, The Place We Walk Becomes the Road, and Minji and a Squirrel.

Deborah Smith is an internationally renowned translator. She founded Tilted Axis Press to learn, share, and support a more nuanced and equitable awareness of our mutually entangled lives. In 2016 she was co-winner of the Man Booker International Prize for Literature, alongside author Han Kang, for her translation of The Vegetarian.