The Forbidden Planet International Blog

Okie Dokie Donuts: Open For Business

By Chris Eliopoulos

Top Shelf Productions

Another interesting looking kids/ all -ages book from Top Shelf. I have to admit I saw this and just thought it was a little too over the top, a little too cramped, with so much going on in a lot of the panels that, combined with a really strange extremely limited colour palette, I just looked at it and immediately thought it wasn’t for me.

And I guess that may be exactly right – it’s not for me. It’s designed to be appealing to a younger reader, something immediately obvious when Molly caught sight of it. And really enjoyed it. No problem with the colours, no problem at all with the artwork. Her only problem came with reviewing it. Nowadays something as simple as writing a review has to find its way into a complex timetable ofschoolwork, friends, crap TV, music, and other stuff that she and her other just pre-teen friends manage to fill their waking hours with.

However, when all else fails…. bribery always works. So, suitably rewarded for completing this…. here’s Molly….

Okie Dokie Donuts is all about Big Momma, who owns a donut shop called Okie Dokie Donuts where she makes and fills her own donuts with her old and clumsy assistant Henry. Everyone loves Okie Dokie Donuts, and it’s all because Big Mamma makes them with love!

Everything is fine until the arrival of a salesman from a company that make some of the worst inventions ever. But he overhears Big Mamma talking about maybe needing a little help around the donut shop and convinces her that Mr Baker (the Brilliant Apparatus Kooks Every Recipe) is the answer…..

It isn’t the answer. All it takes for everything to go wrong is for Henry to mistake Mr Baker for the rubbish bin. Oh dear, Mr Baker thinks the rubbish is ingredients, and starts making some really, really disgusting donut fillings.

This is one of my favourite bits of this very funny book, the number of really disgusting, but really hilarious fillings. Chocolate fish and strawberry socks don’t sound very nice at all do they? And I really laughed when Mr Baker announced the chocolate and fish flavour donuts…. the worst donut ever, but a great look on Big Mamma’s face…

Everything in Okie Dokie Donuts is crazy, from the people singing songs at the start to the very silly and funny ways Mr Baker goes wrong and causes chaos for Big Mamma. It made me laugh a lot. I think Okie Dokie Donuts would be fun for children, and fun for adults as well.