November & December 2020: Shared Meals / Food-Based Gatherings

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

The Sandwich Swap shows why celebrity-authored books, though well-intentioned, don't always work well:

The Queen's note says that she tasted her classmate's weird sandwich the first time she saw it, in kindergarten. So what makes it a good story that these older girls would disrupt the whole school after years of seeing each other eat weird sandwiches? The good part of the story is the school picnic at the end. But even that isn't original. Didn't you have a unit in elementary school in which you shared your family's favorite cultural traditions and foods? We did, and so did my sons, in WI and in NV. Barely three stars.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Marge's Diner

Read because my library included it in a 'book bundle' for the theme. I guess it fits, in that this town wouldn't be the same without this diner where all the regulars are known but even the tourists are treated just as well.

Might be good for educators/families as a Social Studies text, too.

[QNPoohBear]

Cheryl wrote: "Didn't you have a unit in elementary school in which you shared your family's favorite cultural traditions and foods?.."

We did. My Nonnie made homemade pasta! She probably brought cookies too LOL! I also remember reading Annie and the Old One and the teacher making Navajo Fry Bread. In junior high social studies we also made foods from our heritage to bring in. Since my Nonnie came to elementary school and probably someone else was doing Italy, I went with my mom's Norwegian heritage and made rice pudding.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Another lovely celebration of a family’s weekly dinner get together is Trish Cooke’s Full, Full, Full of Love. I love how the grandmother makes a delicious meal for the entire extended family and how everyone enjoys both the food and the company.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

QNPoohBear wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Didn't you have a unit in elementary school in which you shared your family's favorite cultural traditions and foods?.."

We did. My Nonnie made homemade pasta! She probably brought ..."

Thank you... good to know my schools weren't unique.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Manybooks wrote: "Another lovely celebration of a family’s weekly dinner get together is Trish Cooke’s Full, Full, Full of Love. I love how the grandmother makes a delicious meal for the entire extend..."

Oh that looks good... and it happens to be 'diverse' too.

[QNPoohBear]

The Great Redwall Feast is a long picture book for kids too young to read the Redwall series. Tthe late great Brian Jacques grew up during WWII when food was scarce. He read all these books about knights going on quests and returning to feasts! What's an orange? What's bananas? he wondered. He did NOT like the taste of oranges when he finally got to try one after the war. When he started writing stories about woodland creatures that go questing and fighting evil he made sure to include feasts. They're woodland animals and grow or catch their own food. There's also a cellar 'hog (hedgehog) who makes and keeps track of the drinks. There's a cookbook to accompany the books too

Since the illustrator is local, I've never seen any of these Redwall illustrated books for a decent price at any of the used bookshops around here!

[QNPoohBear]

Other books on my shelf I recommend to fit the theme
Strega Nona's Gift
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona
Christmas Cakes

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Another lovely celebration of a family’s weekly dinner get together is Trish Cooke’s Full, Full, Full of Love. I love how the grandmother makes a delicious meal for..."

It is REALLY good and joyful.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "Too Many Tamales only got three stars from me:

The adults here are more patient than I am... I don't think that I'd have laughed after seeing the first batch of tamales effectively g..."

I gave it four stars but that was over ten years ago and before I had children, so perhaps I wouldn't be as impressed with it now. (The parts you mention do sound bothersome.)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "Dumpling Soup is the favorite dish of this Hawaiian clan on New Year's Eve. I gave the story four stars:

The blurb says it all, but too calmly. This is a full book, describing lots o..."

This sounds wonderful. I'll try to get a copy!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Manybooks wrote: "Another lovely celebration of a family’s weekly dinner get together is Trish Cooke’s Full, Full, Full of Love. I love how the grandmother makes a delicious meal for the entire extend..."

Sounds wonderful! Onto my list it goes :-)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "The Sandwich Swap shows why celebrity-authored books, though well-intentioned, don't always work well."

Ah, sorry this wasn't a hit for you. I loved it, as did a few other friends, but it's been many years since I read it.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story definitely needs to be on this list. It's all about how food unites. The story itself needed a bit more development, IMO, but the author's note is rich and deep. Taken together, it's well worth checking out.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

This is probably better for December but adding to the list now in hopes I can check it out next month: Freedom Soup

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

The Little Kids' TableBarely two stars for me. I had my doubts based on the title and cover, but it was from a list that looked decent so I had to give it a try. Not my cup of tea at all. The children are messy, obnoxious, rude and completely exemplify why some people want to relegate them to the "kids' table" -- even the dog misbehaves. The adults just give scowling glances and tell them to be quiet -- until the end when everyone gets in on the antics. I guess maybe it's just a personal preference, some might really relate to the book and think it's funny, and I do think it's meant to portray a warm and happy family gathering -- but I prefer meals in which children and adults can interact with one another and no one is too old to have fun or too young to have some basic table manners and respect for the food and the effort that went into procuring and preparing it.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

No Kimchi for Me! And this one was barely three stars. I really wanted to like it more -- I thought the cats might be cute, and my sister-in-law was born in Korea and loves kimchi. I did like the bravery of the little girl (er, cat) and how she kept trying to like kimchi and I appreciated the ingenuity of her grandmother in trying a different way to serve it, one that the girl would find more palatable. (I've never heard of kimchi pancakes before, and there's a recipe at the back.) However, I didn't like how the brothers were so rude, calling her a "baby" for not liking kimchi and teasing her. If you decide to check it out, be sure to look at the artwork inside the front and back covers. My mouth is watering from all the dishes shown, though I do wish there was more explanation about each of them.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Don't Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table I have mixed feelings about this one. I appreciate the inclusiveness portrayed in the family (and, friends? I think it's a large family and friends) gathering and the special atmosphere of the Sunday dinner. It definitely has that specal-gathering-together-around-food feeling. And, on one hand, I can certainly understand that everyone is getting impatient to eat while Auntie Mabel goes on and on with her very long blessing. I think it's supposed to be humorous and one of those "love your family, quirks and all" but it just made me feel kind of sad that the people couldn't share more wholeheartedly in Auntie Mabel's spirit of gratitude for just a few minutes before digging into the meal

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Feast for 10 Finally, one I really liked! :-) This is so adorable and fun! It's not only a clever counting book, it's a warm and vibrant portrait of a loving family (father, mother and several children) preparing a special meal (to which the grandparents are invited) from shopping together at the grocery store, to cooking together, to gathering around and eating together.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

It seems like this is a favorite theme for diverse authors... each author has a different take and some just aren't resonating with all readers. I think I agree with you; the only one you've posted above that I'm interested in is Feast for 10.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "the only one you've posted above that I'm interested in is Feast for 10. ."

Yes, it's the only one of my recent bunch that I would recommend.

I'm hoping to get a few more on this theme out from the library this month but it's becoming a bit more of a challenge lately to procure library books as we are requesting a lot of seasonal titles and those tend to be popular and have holds on them (and with the quarantine it takes extra-long for books to recirculate) so my holds queue isn't opening up weekly spaces as much as it used to. (I don't mean to complain -- I'm so grateful we still have access to library books and it's nice to know other families are checking the titles out -- I just sometimes long for those days when I could walk into the library and browse and browse and walk out with a huge stack of books!)

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I miss browsing, too. The silver lining of curbside though is saving me time & energy. There's always a silver lining. (That's basically my favorite motto for life.)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "I miss browsing, too. The silver lining of curbside though is saving me time & energy. There's always a silver lining. (That's basically my favorite motto for life.)"

It's a wonderful motto, and so true :-)

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street? by Felicita Sala certainly fits the theme. My 4 star review:

Note that it's also called Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street.

I did not realize that it's more cookbook than story... but I actually love the concept and (mostly) the execution. I like the details, too, for example the man who cooks fish is named Melville....

Unfortunately, it's not like a real recipe book, as there are few pictures of the finished dishes (how soupy is dahl?), no index, not even a table of contents.

The theme of an apartment building, with diverse residents, having a community potluck is wonderful, though.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street? by Felicita Sala certainly fits the theme. My 4 star review:

Note that it's also called Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street.
."

I really wanted to read that one but it's not in our district under either title and so far no luck with ILL. Glad you could read it. Sounds great!

(Looking up the author in our database, I did find that she's a contributor to a book that looks kind of neat, What's Your Favorite Food? "Fourteen children's book artists draw their favorite foods and explain why they love them, using short stories, statements, and poems." Not sure how apt it is for our theme this month, but thought it was worth mentioning.)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Maybe I'm just not in a good mood lately, but I couldn't get enthusiastic about Community Soup, either. It was more a Mary Had a Little Lamb type story, except that it's a goat that follows the little girl to school. There's a community garden at the school and the goat gets into mischief. The students and teachers are preparing a pot of soup and there's a wish to put those pesky goats into the soup.... but they decide to add their milk instead. There's a recipe in the back for pumpkin vegetable soup. Unfortunately, nothing in the story or back matter (which consists only of the recipe) explains where the story takes place or provides any context. The inside flap blurb mentions it's a "Kenyan schoolhouse garden" but that's all we get. I will say that I appreciate that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to Creation of Hope Project which supports schools in Kenya in the building of community gardens.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Everybody Cooks Rice The storytelling is a tad bland -- the little girl goes from neighbor's house to neighbor's house looking for her little brother and he's always just been and gone. Of course, everyone happens to be cooking dinner and happens to be cooking rice dishes ;-) But, since I love learning about different cultures, it interested me. Some of the families are immigrant families and it mentions about them working late, having multiple jobs, older children pitching in to help support the family, etc. I appreciate that the little girl is friends with all of them and that the message is trying to show that we have not only differences but similarities. The illustrations are not quite my cup of tea and rather '90s in style, but nothing that detracted too much.

I like that they the recipes at the back of the book. Most of them look delicious and most can be made vegetarian:

Black-Eyed Peas and Rice (Barbados)

Turmeric Rice with Pigeon Peas (Puerto Rico)

Fried Rice with Nuoc Cham (Vietnam)

Biryani (India)

Tofu and Vegetables (China)

Rice and Beans (Haiti)

Risi e Bisi (Italy)

I was still left wanting more. There was so much room to highlight the different cultures and I felt the information was just very superficial and not at all evocative of the differences, aside from how the people looked and the variations on the rice recipes.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Kathryn wrote: "Everybody Cooks Rice The storytelling is a tad bland -- the little girl goes from neighbor's house to neighbor's house looking for her little brother and he's always just been and go..."

They should also have shown some sweet rice recipes.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Manybooks wrote: "They should also have shown some sweet rice recipes. "

I suppose all savory because it was because it was what they were all making for dinner? But, yes, someone could have been making dessert, I suppose.
(For a fun book about a sweet rice dish see The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred)

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Although Mud Pies and Other Recipes of course does not feature recipes for food that is to be eaten by humans, I still think that the imaginative recipes for doll, toy soldiers, stuffed animals, fairy tea parties and feasts fit the topic (but with the caveat that I do think there should be a warning included that the recipes of Mud Pies and Other Recipes are not to be consumed by humans).

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Manybooks wrote: "Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup

While there is nothing overly profound or (thankfully) earth-shattering with regard to Jorge Argueta's Spanish/English dual language picture book Sopa d..."

I loved this, thank you for the recommendation!
My review:
Charming! I love bean soup and this is a little hug of a book about a young child's joy as he makes bean soup for his family's dinner. It's a celebration of cooking, especially of cooking as an act of joy and an act of love, and I just adore the way the food and the process of cooking is described so poetically. The story itself tells the recipe, though I do wish the recipe was printed out all on one page just for easier reference. Still, I heartily recommend this one.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Manybooks wrote: "Although Mud Pies and Other Recipes of course does not feature recipes for food that is to be eaten by humans, I still think that the imaginative recipes for doll, toy soldiers, stuf..."

Oh, yes, that is a charmer! Thank you for mentioning it. I had forgotten to think of the pretend play element of cooking but it's certainly very important to childhood and I love this book.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Kathryn wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup

While there is nothing overly profound or (thankfully) earth-shattering with regard to Jorge Argueta's Spanish/English dual language p..."

Glad you liked this.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I will look for all the rice and beans books!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

We are venturing into some Thanksgiving titles this week so I'll post back if anything is noteworthy.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but from the latest newsletter from my favorite publisher, Candlewick Press, I see these three that most likely fit:

All for Pie, Pie for All
The Great Thanksgiving Escape
Around the Table That Grandad Built

and one more that seems closely related:
Over the Shop

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

The Blue Table by Chris Raschka
is different and interesting: the blue table is at the center of each illustration, and all the reader sees of the people is their hands--first preparing what might be a Thanksgiving dinner (although that is not specified), and then holding hands around the table, then eating, then clearing the table. The text is very sparse. A unique take on a shared-food gathering.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Oh that sounds interesting. Maybe a tiny bit like They All Saw A Cat, with the theme of seeing things in a new light by viewing through the focus of a narrow lens....

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "Oh that sounds interesting. Maybe a tiny bit like They All Saw A Cat, with the theme of seeing things in a new light by viewing through the focus of a narrow lens...."

Perhaps, but the table does not change the way the cat changes. Things on and around the table change, however.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I hope our US members had a happy and safe Thanksgiving celebration on Thursday.

This was the best of the Thanksgiving books we had out from the library: Thanksgiving Treat
Sweet little story. The youngest member of the family keeps being shooed away from all the Thanksgiving feast preparations because he's too little. Yet Grandpa finds a special job for him when they go together to collect chestnuts and everyone in the family rejoices when they return with a bounty for roasting. I think many children can relate to the feeling of wanting to help and no one finding an appropriate role for them in the preparations. I also can't help but notice it's the oldest member of the family who goes out of the house chestnut hunting (I wonder if this was a self-appointed mission because he was considered "too old" to be helpful in anything else?) I hope it's a good reminder that we all have something to offer, no matter how old or how young.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Kathryn wrote: "I hope our US members had a happy and safe Thanksgiving celebration on Thursday.

This was the best of the Thanksgiving books we had out from the library: Thanksgiving Treat
Sweet li..."

Your review reminds me of All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah, where the youngest daughter also feels left out of the family Hanukkah preparations until the father lets her light the candles. And Hanukkah is definitely with its communal preparation and consuming of latkes a sharing of not just the sacred oil of Jewish scripture and tradition but also of a special and tasty food loved by all.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Kathryn wrote: "Dim Sum for Everyone! Sometimes special shared meals happen in a restaurant instead of at home. I enjoyed this book but perhaps not as much as I was hoping to. The illustrations were ..."

For me, the best parts were the list of dim sum ingredients and various dim sum dishes. And yes, especially the narrative is a trifle too simple for me.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Manybooks wrote: "Your review reminds me of All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah, where the youngest daughter also feels left out of the family Hanukkah preparations until the father lets her light the candles. "

That's been on my radar for awhile and I haven't read it yet. I somehow don't think of it until the holidays and then I feel like I shouldn't check it out while families who celebrate Hanukkah might be wanting it. I'll try to remember to get it in January.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

And with that perfect segue, I hope we can keep the thread going into December with books featuring special meals and food-based gatherings involving the upcoming holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's -- maybe something related to Solstice (? I think there's a special solstice bread but I can't remember where I read that now).

Happy reading and happy holidays! :-)

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Some of the books I'll be reading for the Miscellaneous Club's December 'cooking' thread will fit here... my library gave me another terrific book bundle, heavy on the picture-books.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Catherine's Pascha: A Celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church, does not only show how Easter is celebrated in Orthodox Christianity, the communal meal post the Easter celebration also totally fits our topic (and I do highly recommend this book)

And in The Gift from Saint Nicholas, I love how the gift of a large teapot (from Saint Nicholas) causes the village to come together and party with treats and warmth.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

The Sugaring-Off Party, lovely story about how after the maple syrup has been made, everyone gathers together for a huge and also tasty with everything maple syrup communal party.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Maple Syrup Season shows a family getting together not only to make maple syrup but also to be together and to eat and celebrate together during and after the fact, but I do not find this book as interesting as other books on sugaring and really have not enjoyed to illustrations all that much.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Although wordless, I really enjoyed looking at the pictures of An Edwardian Christmas and the copious amounts of food, drink and decadent parties portrayed. But I also would have liked seeing not just pictures of how a clearly upper class Edwardian English family celebrated Christmas but also how middle and lower class families celebrated (or maybe did not celebrate).

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "Some of the books I'll be reading for the Miscellaneous Club's December 'cooking' thread will fit here... my library gave me another terrific book bundle, heavy on the picture-books."

Oooo, fun! I'll look forward to that :-)