I Want to Eat Doughnuts and Hibernate

Dozens of Doughnuts
Written by Carrie Finison & Illustrated by Brianne Farley
Age Level: 3-7 Years
Published July 21, 2020

Don’t cross me when I’m hungry.

LouAnn has a simple plan: eat a big batch of freshly made doughnuts, then go into hibernation mode. But every time she gets ready to dig into a delicious dozen, the doorbell rings and one of her woodland friends shows up. 

Even though LouAnn needs to fill her belly for the long winter, she generously hands over her plate when a guest arrives on her doorstep. I like that LouAnn is happy to share her portion with her friends. But I really love that the author pays attention to the lesser explored aspect of sharing too, which is that it’s downright unfair when the action isn’t reciprocated. 

“Deep down in her throat, there’s a low, hungry grumble.
It slowly grows louder. Her friends hear the rumble.”

My kids' eyes grow wide and they practically lean away from the book, bracing themselves for the giant roar that LouAnn unleashes on her friends. Chastened, LouAnn’s guests realize that they selfishly ate all her doughnuts without sharing. So they gather their supplies and make her a doughnut feast.

In addition to this being a darling, mouthwatering read for younger children, there is a fun math component for older children learning division. The author uses each dozen doughnuts to demonstrate how the batches can be evenly divided between 2, 3, 4, and 6 guests. But also feel free to reach for this one when you’re simply looking for an excuse to go out for doughnuts.