This earnest amalgam of cookbook and geography lesson has some charm, but mostly falls flat. Beginning with a brief rundown of skills and safety rules about measuring, mixing, cutting, and using kitchen appliances, the authors then turn to the United States by region (New England, Southwest, Pacific, etc.). Each state gets an outline map, a box of info about its state tree, flower, etc. a few paragraphs of history, and an indication of some of its food products. This is followed by a regional recipe, nicely laid out with ingredients, steps, the time it takes, and the tools needed. Each state’s section ends with “Fun Food Facts” and a note about a local food festival. The research is sometimes frustrating (in what African language is “goober” a word for peanut?) and some terms that should be explained aren’t (what’s shortening?). There’s a heavy reliance on prepackaged, canned, and frozen ingredients in the recipes. Margarine and oil pan spray are used throughout, which might allay some health concerns but will surely offend some purists, too. There isn’t much description to carry youngsters through the tricky parts, like yeast dough; or warnings about, for example, adding melted margarine to egg yolk and what might happen if the margarine is too hot. Budding young chefs will be better served by other readily available regional cookbooks. (Nonfiction. 914)
Pub Date: April 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-471-35839-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Wiley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
