Readers
often wonder where story ideas come from. They come from many places, but
rarely from as deep a place as Gilbert’s Cake.
As author Emily Mir explains, ‘Our first baby, Gilbert, was
stillborn in 2010. Two years later, we welcomed Gilbert’s twin siblings. As
young children, the twins wanted a party, complete with balloons and a cake, to
mark Gilbert's birthday. It was painful at first, but an annual tradition
began. Gilbert’s Cake is the story of our story.’
After working with families who have experienced miscarriage and stillbirth, Emily was inspired to share her family’s story of love, loss . . . and pelicans.
Emily is both a counsellor and a bereaved
mother, and hopes her story sparks joy and love as well as evoking holistic ways
of healing in the face of loss and trauma.
Here is KBR’s Elizabeth Vercoe’s touching review to further entice:
This book is exquisite.
A celebration of life, death, love, small people and
family that will leave you feeling lighter, yet somehow changed.
Illustrations that sing, dance and surprise; words that
leap off the page to delight and to beckon. Brilliant use of texture, colour,
motif and tone, so that even the endpapers are laden with significance and joy.
All the feels. Goosebumps on your goosebumps material.
Absolutely recommended.
Author: Emily Mir
Illustrator: Helen Nieuwendijk
Publisher: Gilded Snail, $29.95
Publication Date: 1 August 2025
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780646713410
For Ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
Gilbert’s Cake is the first book from brand-new, mini-imprint Gilded Snail, established by Margrete Lamond in 2024 specifically for books like Emily’s. Gilded Snail takes bold strides into the margins to give voice to stories that not only need telling, but that beg to be shared.
