A Birthday Cake for George Washington is a children's picture book written by Ramin Ganeshram and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, published by Scholastic and first released on January 5, 2016.

Smith concluded that "It’s easy to understand why Ganeshram opted to leave those details out of her primary narrative: they’re a serious downer for readers, and they don’t have anything to do with the cake.

[2] Among the critics were Kiera Parrott, who wrote in School Library Journal that the book was "highly problematic" and that it "convey[s] a feeling of joyfulness that contrasts starkly with the reality of slave life".

[14][15] In a statement, the publisher said: Scholastic has a long history of explaining complex and controversial issues to children at all ages and grade levels.

[18] In an interview with the Associated Press, the author responded to the public outcry and withdrawal of the book, stating that she had continually voiced concerns about the “over jovial” depiction of the enslaved characters[18] but that she had been repeatedly ignored by the publisher.

Farah Mendlesohn wrote that the decision by Scholastic to withdraw the book was product recall, not censorship, and argued that if "it is acceptable and “free speech” to turn [the story of Hercules] into a happy little story about a slave serving his master joyfully, then I look forward to Scholastic producing a bright little picture book called The Children’s Choir of Terezin.