Budding cooks, dedicated eaters, and culinary historians will relish the presentation.
A tasty overview of a popular dish.
In this history of the finger or knife-and-fork food, a bespectacled rat takes readers back in time to ancient Greece and Persia (where some say the food may have originated) and then forward to 19th-century Naples and a chef named Raffaele Esposito, who “was famous for making the best pizza in Naples.” Pizzoli notes that King Umberto and Queen Margherita heard about the pizza on a visit to Naples and that, according to lore, the queen requested it—an image of Esposito riding a horse with pizza boxes tied to it offers a whimsical depiction of what Pizzoli dubs “the first pizza delivery.” Italian immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the return of U.S. soldiers from Italy after World War II contributed to the widespread demand for the pies. Not content with the typical recipes, chefs all over the world have added toppings ranging from peas (Brazil) to fish (Russia) to coconuts (Costa Rica) to mayo jaga (Japan). The simple recipe for toaster oven–style minipizzas at the end of the book is child-friendly, starting with English muffins and adding mozzarella and tomatoes. Flavoring the concise yet fun narrative is the deliciously inspired palette dominated by red, green, and white that evokes both the Italian flag and pizza itself. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Budding cooks, dedicated eaters, and culinary historians will relish the presentation. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-425-29107-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project.
The Celebrate the World series spotlights Lunar New Year.
This board book blends expository text and first-person-plural narrative, introducing readers to the holiday. Chau’s distinctive, finely textured watercolor paintings add depth, transitioning smoothly from a grand cityscape to the dining room table, from fantasies of the past to dumplings of the present. The text attempts to provide a broad look at the subject, including other names for the celebration, related cosmology, and historical background, as well as a more-personal discussion of traditions and practices. Yet it’s never clear who the narrator is—while the narrative indicates the existence of some consistent, monolithic group who participates in specific rituals of celebration (“Before the new year celebrations begin, we clean our homes—and ourselves!”), the illustrations depict different people in every image. Indeed, observances of Lunar New Year are as diverse as the people who celebrate it, which neither the text nor the images—all of the people appear to be Asian—fully acknowledges. Also unclear is the book’s intended audience. With large blocks of explication on every spread, it is entirely unappealing for the board-book set, and the format may make it equally unattractive to an older, more appropriate audience. Still, readers may appreciate seeing an important celebration warmly and vibrantly portrayed.
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project. (Board book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3303-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
This heartwarming story of a boy and his beloved dog opens the door for further study of our 16th president.
A slice of Abraham Lincoln’s childhood life is explored through a fictionalized anecdote about his dog Honey.
When 7-year-old Abe rescues a golden-brown dog with a broken leg, he takes the pup home to the Lincolns’ cabin in Knob Creek, Kentucky. Honey follows Abe everywhere, including trailing after his owner into a deep cave. When Abe gets stuck between rocks, Honey goes for help and leads a search party back to the trapped boy for a dramatic rescue. The source for this story was a book incorporating the memories of Abe’s boyhood friend, explained in an author’s note. The well-paced text includes invented dialogue attributed to Abe and his parents. Abe’s older sister, Sarah, is not mentioned in the text and is shown in the illustrations as a little girl younger than Abe. All the characters present white save for one black man in the rescue crew. An oversized format and multiple double-page spreads provide plenty of space for cartoon-style illustrations of the Lincoln cabin, the surrounding countryside, and the spooky cave where Abe was trapped. This story focuses on the incident in the cave and Abe’s rescue; a more complete look at Lincoln’s life is included in an appended timeline and the author’s note, both of which include references to Lincoln’s kindness to animals and to other pets he owned.
This heartwarming story of a boy and his beloved dog opens the door for further study of our 16th president. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-269900-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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