Keep handy for that gloomy day when a “Spaghetti Twister with a Tomato Tornado” might blow in or as an amusing how-to title...
Old and new fans of the classic tale of food delivered three times a day by the weather can tie on an apron, sharpen their culinary skills and dig in to 25 recipes inspired by the beloved book.
The Barretts team up once again to serve kid-friendly fare—to make and eat. A letter from Grandpa to Henry and Kate opens the book, and their reply brings the spiral-bound title to a close. Within, budding chefs will find some standard kids’-cookbook fare after a helpful list of “Grandpa’s Rules and Tools.” Pancakes, fried eggs, open-faced grilled-cheese sandwiches and mashed potatoes are often given clever names but are essentially basic items on the average American menu (“Noodlehead Noodles” = mac ’n’ cheese, for instance). Each spread features a cartoonish illustration of Grandpa engaged in a silly antic related to the recipe on the facing page. Each recipe clearly states the ingredients and directions—no matter how simple—so every dish seems possible to make, especially with an adult assisting. A photo of the end result is also provided to whet the appetite. “Milky Maple Soda” looks refreshing to sip while tackling the “Toasty Bread Houses,” square meatballs, “Foggy Pea Soup” or “Strawberry Tallcake.” Other than one odd warning not to “cremate” English-muffin pizzas under the broiler, the recipes are good and easy, and kids should find many sweet and savory options to tickle their taste buds.
Keep handy for that gloomy day when a “Spaghetti Twister with a Tomato Tornado” might blow in or as an amusing how-to title to help children discover the possible satisfying results that can come when following directions. (Cookbook. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4475-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Skip.
A compact survey of world myths and legends.
Explaining that “myths are stories people used to tell to explain things they didn’t understand about their history, nature, or the world around them” and that “legends may once have been based on truth” but “have become fabulous fantasies,” Lawrence presents a smattering of notable characters and tales. The Greeks get a fair amount of attention, with the stories of Heracles, Theseus, Jason, and Pandora each afforded a double-page spread. As the book is quite small (5 ¾ inches high by 7 ½ inches across), that’s just a few sentences each. Other characters are grouped thematically (Robin Hood, Sun Wukong, Finn McCool, and Kintaro are “heroes”; Baba Yaga, Baron Samedi, Medusa, and Set are “the bad guys”). Although it’s clear Lawrence has worked not to limit herself to European mythology, her efforts at inclusivity are ham-handed at best. Next to a picture that looks suspiciously like Disney’s Pocahontas is a brief blurb on the generic “Native American spirit Sky Woman” (printed in black ink on dark-purple paper, so many readers may skip this anyway). Stories from extant cosmologies are presented alongside dead ones with no explanation, so readers who don’t know better may come away thinking Hinduism is as passé as the Norse pantheon, for instance. Equally troubling, stories and figures from the Abrahamic traditions are entirely absent, setting up a false opposition among belief systems.
Skip. (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944530-11-2
Page Count: 72
Publisher: 360 Degrees
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
For young architects and kids interested in learning about the world.
An Asian boy on a skateboard describes a variety of domiciles.
Inside the contemporary house the child’s family (also Asian) lives in, family members are seen eating, sleeping, studying, watching TV (with retro rabbit ears), and talking on a wall phone, a mixture of details that may evoke the childhood of the author or illustrator. The narrator then takes off in an old-fashioned plane to describe houses in Thailand, Togo, Mongolia, Russia, and Greenland. Exteriors and interiors of the five houses appear in double-page spreads with explanatory text (in a small font) about materials, styles, and construction details embedded within the illustrations; each includes a family and its appropriate animals. The main text (in a large font) is simple and sometimes-awkward: “There are houses wherever people live. Even though houses have different appearances in every country, each one is someone’s precious home.” The explanatory text is a little more advanced and generally flows better. The choice of unusual houses, especially the felt gers of Mongolia and the clay houses of Togo, offers young readers a chance to explore aspects of everyday life in several countries. Refreshingly, the book takes care to emphasize that the Inuit of Greenland live in “wooden or brick houses,” and that igloos are temporary shelters used on hunting trips. The naïve illustrative style is eye-catching and friendly, and the photos in the back endpapers are a useful addition.
For young architects and kids interested in learning about the world. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-939248-19-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: TanTan
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2025 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.
