A flavorful, inspirational biography of a woman who showed the world what she could cook up.
Niki Nakayama is a renowned chef who found her voice through food.
Opening with an illustration of Nakayama in her restaurant kitchen, her story is told in 13 “bites,” each depicted as a double-page spread, beginning in Los Angeles, where Niki was born. Mixing cultures, her Japan-born parents fused their Japanese culture with American food. As she grew up, she desired to make her own life story through imagination, exploration, and invention. No one believed she, a girl, could be a success. Her response was “Kuyashii!” (translated as “I’ll show them!”), a frustration with these doubts that drove her to work harder. She traveled to Japan, where she discovered kaiseki—a multiple-course meal that told a story, which steered her toward the culinary world. Using her creativity and hard work, she finally opened up her own restaurant, where she was free to cook in her own way, sharing her life story through her dishes. Niki Nakayama set out to show her family and the world what she could do, and she did. This brief biography captures Nakayama’s sense of exploration and her determination to follow her passion and dreams. The meticulously detailed illustrations highlight the food, experiences, and Japanese culture. Included at the end are a timeline of Nakayama’s life, deeper explanations of the concepts of kuyashiiand kaiseki, and a recipe for wonton pizza.(This book was reviewed digitally.)
A flavorful, inspirational biography of a woman who showed the world what she could cook up. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31387-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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