Oh, what a birthday blunderFor a kangaroo to make!He's lost the long jump contestAnd crashed into the cake!The occasion is a birthday party, and Krasher the Kangaroo, Klingy the Koala, Frizzy and Dizzy the Sheep Twins, and all the Friendly Forest regulars are invited.When Dizzy challenges Krasher to a long jump contest and a blustery wind starts gusting, it's uh-oh time.Written in rhyme and illustrated in soft watercolours, THE SURPRISE BIRTHDAY CAKE is the first in a series of Friendly Forest Stories that invite reader and listener into a snug and affable world--a world in which kindness, ingenuity, and fun pave the way and win the day. Find out about the next stories in the series, THE DAY BUNNY BEAR LOST HER MEMORY, and THE FIRST SNOW MORNING TEA on the friendlyforestbooks.com website.The printed version of THE SURPRISE BIRTHDAY CAKE includes 9 pages of colouring and activity pages!About the authorsJohn and Anne Maher live in Australia, hold Master's degrees (Azusa Pacific University, University of Chicago), and have taught English as a Second Language on three continents. Because of their experience teaching English, they know the value of rhyme and rhythm in building language skills. And rhymes are fun! They give a child a sense of structure and mastery. Also, Anne and John live next to a small forest and there is at least one kangaroo living there, and they are pretty sure there's a koala as well.