Honestly not that great of a book. The story follows Catalina who is trying to follow the letter but not the spirit of the law when taking directions from the King who has ordered her to build a wall. Her family is on the other side of the wall so she keeps trying material that will not last.

Book seems to have some political undertones (Trump and the wall).

Illustrations are not very captive for young audiences and my daughter lost interest at about the quarter way mark and has never asked to revisit the book.

We will be donating this one to the library book sale where hopefully it can find a loving home. ( )

when the king that Catalina works for decides he wants to build a wall between his kingdom and there and his neighbors, she finds herself in an interesting predicament. Her family lives on the other side in the other country. now she must come up with a way to stop the king so that her family can come to visit her can she come up with a way to allow her family to cross the border before he builds his wall or is she just another girl who works for who cooks for the king.
I found this to be a very interesting book. The illustrations are very entertaining and Illuminating. They show many different forms of cooking that I would never imagine tuning a wall made out of frosting for instance. when I read the synopsis for this book children's book I thought that it would be about accepting people's differences and in some ways it is but, it really doesn't delve much into that it. It is more of a story about how one girl tricks her King repeatedly so that her family can come and visit her is has nothing really about the differences between the other country or why the king doesn't really like them or why she lives in his kingdom with her family lives in the other. All in all I found this to be an interesting book. I would rate it 3 stars out of 5 and would recommend it to two children who just want to hear a really interesting story that involves food family and weird Kings. ( )

Carolina and the King's Wall made me laugh out loud, with its not-so-subtle references to current politics: a king who wants to build a wall to keep out people from a nearby kingdom, who "clearly had no plan of his own," and whose "face turned from orange to red" when he got angry. Clever puns are a plus; the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish. Paperback with title on spine. ( )

Catalina and the King's Wall is a clever and charming book for young children about a king with a sweet tooth and some ideas that Catalina doesn't like. He wants to build a wall to keep out people from a bordering country, and since Catalina's family lives across the border, Catalina needs to think of something. So she builds him several walls from the ingredients in her pantry. The king can't resist eating the final cookie wall she has built, so hey, no wall for him. Author Patty Costello clearly wants to remind adult readers of someone they know, but young children will just enjoy a good story. The illustrations are just right for the story line. ( )

Catalina and the King's Wall is a modern day allegory that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Adults will recognize the political implications; children will love the sweet story of a hard working girl who just wants to see her family. Catalina, the baker, is brilliantly characterized as creative, loving, and inclusive. She is kind but also knows when to take a stand to oppose those who cause harm. Patty Costello's writing and clever wordplays will appeal to children and parents. The artwork by Diane Cojocaru is beautiful. ( )