Week 1 Storytelling: The Baker's Man

PAT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, baker's man!

(So I will, master), as fast as I can:

Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T,

Put in the oven for Tommy and me.

(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

~ ~ ~

Once upon a time there was a little bakery on top of a huge hill called Tommy’s Bakery. At the bottom of the hill was the little town of Greensville and it was always filled with people bustling about. Everyone in the town loved the treats that came from Tommy’s, but they especially raved about the cakes! In fact, when the wind blew just right people claimed the could smell the treats cooking in the bakery at the top of the hill. People traveled far and wide for the delicious treats because the stories of Tommy’s delicious cakes traveled fast.

However, one quiet and normal day in Greensville a young boy, named John, went up the hill to buy a cookie, and to his dismay the bakery was closed and there was a envelope with a letter inside taped to the door.

(The Letter On The Door)

The letter read:

“Attention townspeople: 

I can no longer continue to bake because I have fallen ill, and I am to sick to cook. The bakery will stay closed until further notice. I will consider reopening if there is someone who can cook that is willing to learn and perfect my recipes. 

Best regards, 

Tommy” 

John took it upon himself to take on this duty and learn to be Tommy’s successor. He knocked on the door and he could faintly hear Tommy instruct him to come on inside. When John told him he wanted to learn to bake, Tommy was grateful he offered, but he new it would not be easy to teach him. After countless hours and many burnt and ruined cakes, they were both feeling a little discouraged. They decided to give it one last chance. John carefully prepared the batter and put the cake into the oven. When the cake was done it looked delicious, but he wouldn’t be sure until Tommy tasted it. He wanted his finished product to looks as good as he hoped it would taste, which meant lots of frosting! He wrote “J & T” on the cake to show his appreciation for Tommy. John cut Tommy a piece, and to his surprise Tommy loved it! He was so glad he took a chance on John and not longer had to worry about his bakery because he knew it was in good hands. 

(The Cake John Made)

John was now and forever would be “the baker’s man.” 

~ ~ ~

Authors Note: I'm sure most of you have heard Pat-A-Cake, but if not you noticed from the original rhyme at the top that it is a very simple story. It is just about someone baking a cake, and that is all. It reminded me a lot of someone learning how to bake, so I just elaborated on that. I wanted to give reason behind why the person in the original story was baking a cake, and what brought him to that moment in time. It was such a simple plot that I felt that I needed to give the story a little bit more depth. Therefore, I did not necessarily change too much, but instead I gave it background information and an ending as well. I chose to use that image of the cake because in my head that is what I imagined the cake to look like. It looks like a perfectly crafted and delicious cake. I think it will help my readers image the story a little better. My overall goal for this story was to give a nursery rhyme that every one sang when they were younger a little bit of purpose. It is supposed to show readers that a helping hand goes a long way. 

Bibliography: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Pat-A-Cake" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).