Category: Picture book- nonfiction

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Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat

How do you make a biography about Julia Child more accessible to children? Tell it from the point of view of her cat! Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich and illustrated by Amy Bates is a warm, delightful telling of iconic chef Julia Child’s adventures learning to cook in Paris.

I should make a disclosure right up front:  Our family has three cats. I come from a long line of cat people. We are severely biased towards cats. 🙂 This may have colored my extreme enjoyment of this book.

Minette was real cat who was Julia Child’s pet when she lived in Paris. In the Afterword there is a lovely black-and-white photograph of Julia with petite Minette looking wild-eyed on her lap. The photograph was taken by Julia’s husband, Paul.

Children are likely to relate to the fact that Minette is not as impressed with fancy cooking as the adult humans seem to be. She is more interested in plain fare (mice and birds) and playing. In the end, however, she becomes a convert, perhaps because Julia’s skills as a cook have improved with all the lessons.

This book is full of treats for the reader. One of the treats is the actual dialogue from Julia and Paul Child’s letters, giving us the flavor of their characters. Another treat is the glimpse of life in France and the smattering of French words sprinkled throughout. The pencil and watercolor illustrations are also treats, as they give the ambience of Paris during the late 1940’s, and yet also imply the motion and zest of larger-than-life Julia Child.  C’est magnifique!

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat is sure to give readers the warm fuzzies. The beauty is that you don’t need to be a cat lover or a foodie or a Francophile to enjoy this book, but if you are any of those then you will definitely want a copy of your very own.

Jama’s Alphabet Soup has an interview with the author and illustrator, recipes and much more

This critic gives Minette’s Feast a definite four paws (the highest rating).

Reading level: Ages 3 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (May 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1419701770
ISBN-13: 978-1419701771

See what Susanna Reich has to say about writing children’s books and Minette’s Feast:

Book was provided by publisher for review purposes.

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids at the Nonfiction Monday blog.

This week’s round-up is at Books Together.

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It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw

It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie is a fascinating picture book biography about a former slave who became a prolific folk artist after he started drawing when he was eighty-five years old.

It Jes’ Happened

The story of Bill Traylor is compelling. Not only did he start to draw at a ripe old age, but his drawings were an outpouring of all the things he had observed in his life. Before long his art caught the attention of a much younger artist who had gone to school to study art. He liked Bill’s drawings so much that he started to bring him art supplies and buying some of Bill’s art. He eventually made sure that Bill Traylor’s art was appreciated and displayed in art galleries.

Don Tate is an artist himself. This is his first book as an author, and it is a wonderful debut effort. He mentions in an interview in the Teacher’s Guide that none other than author Diana Aston suggested the idea to him, and it seems like it was a good fit.

It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw is jes’ plain captivating. It will be perfect for lessons in history, as well as art.

This book cries out to be accompanied with hands-on art activities.

Activity 1:  Assemble of personal memory collage.

Because Bill Traylor recorded his own memories and thoughts, have the students create a memory collage using photographs, images cut from magazines, or their own drawings.

Gather:

  • Large sheet of paper
  • Images: photographs, magazines to cut up
  • Materials to create own images and words:  colored pencils, markers, paint (optional)
  • Glue
  • Scissors

Have the children brainstorm about things they remember. Create or search for images that represent these memories. Arrange the images on the large piece of paper and glue them down.

Specific idea:  how about a memories of the beach collage?

Activity 2: American Folk Art

Explore American Folk Art at NGA Kids

American Flag

Reading level: Ages 6 and up
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1600602606
ISBN-13: 978-1600602603

Book was provided by publisher for review purposes.

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s round-up is at Swimmer Writer.

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Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage

With the call for judges for Cybils, our thoughts turn to which books to nominate. I thought I had mine all picked out until this book came across my desk. Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage by Alan Schroeder and illustrated by the husband/wife team of Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu is a picture book biography that will light up a child’s face when he or she reads it.

Baby Flo is about the early childhood of a dancer from early 1900s, Florence Mills. At a very young age Florence danced with such a spirited style that she caught the attention of many of the Washington, D.C. elite. Florence Mills was performing on stage by three years old and by the tender of age of seven she had her name in lights at the Bijou Theater.

As if the heartwarming story wasn’t enough, the vibrant watercolor illustrations capture the joy and spirit of the young Baby Flo perfectly. (You can see a preview at the publisher’s website.)

In three pages of Author’s Notes in the back, we find out about how as an adult Florence Mills went on to become an international celebrity. Photographs of the delicate beauty are included.

Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage introduces children to a person and the culture of a by-gone era they might not otherwise encounter. Children who dream to become dancers or entertainers will find the story particularly inspiring. Before you know it, you will be warming up your search engine with the terms like “cakewalk” and “buck-and-wing.”

Hopefully someone else will nominate that other book I was considering…

Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (March 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1600604102
ISBN-13: 978-1600604102

 

Book was supplied by publisher for review purposes.

 

 

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s round-up is at Jean Little Library.

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Garter Snake at Willow Creek Lane

Garter Snake at Willow Creek Lane by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Anne Wertheim, the newest in Smithsonian’s Backyard Book series, is an engaging overview of one season in the life of Garter Snake.

The text models a fiction format with the Garter Snake being the main character who experiences rising conflict, which keeps the story interesting and memorable. The story starts dramatically with Garter Snake’s birth on the first page (yes, some snakes give birth rather than lay eggs). She overcomes several challenges that include encounters with Bingo the dog, but all ends well with her finding a safe, warm place to overwinter. In between, the reader learns a great deal about the life history of garter snakes in general, including what they eat and how they defend themselves. Note:  there is a scene where Garter Snake plays dead, which might be slightly disturbing to sensitive children.

Anne Wertheim’s bright illustrations illuminate the page. The close-up versions of Garter Snake looks like she is going to slither right off the page.

We read the larger softcover version, which is a perfect size to share with others, but Soundprints provides the book in variety of options. You can download an audio version. The book also comes in a “microbook” format, with a plush toy snake. We have several of the microbooks from the series. They are 5 7/8 inches by 4 3/4 inches, a size which is definitely attractive to youngsters with little hands.

Garter Snake at Willow Creek Lane is just what you would expect from the high-quality Smithsonian Backyard series, sure to inspire children to learn more about snakes and nature in general. With so many options, I’m sure you can find a version that fits your needs.

We previously reviewed Little Black Ant on Park Street from the same series.

Make a snake craft and learn more about garter snakes at Growing With Science.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Soundprints (July 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607272091
ISBN-13: 978-1607272090

This book were supplied by the publisher for review purposes.

Stem Friday is at Shelf Employed today. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to the new STEM Friday blog for more information.