"One day, in a big bowl, flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and baking powder were all mixed together" and "Cupcake was born." The first thing friendly Vanilla Cupcake does after receiving his coating of frosting (also vanilla) is introduce himself to his brothers and sisters: a double-page spread shows six fancy cupcakes, including Pink Princess Cupcake ("Charmed, I'm sure") and Chocolaty Chocolate Cupcake ("It's chocorific to meet you"). At the end of the day, Cupcake is bummed to find himself the lone cupcake left on the plate-unwanted and ordinary. A little candle hears his sobs and shares his own tale of being a plain candle among fancy siblings (Number Candle, Twisty Candle, etc.). What a downer: "Now both Cupcake and Candle were feeling sad." Think you know what's coming? Not so fast-Harper stays true to her absurdist tale, drawing out the silliness and supplying a funny, unpredictable conclusion that exactly fits the eclectic story's humor. Dialogue that appears in the faux-childlike, pastel-colored art is connected to each speaker via dotted lines (straight, crooked, or swirly) that neatly convey mood. Horn Book"