Children's Cooking-themed picture book Archives -

Picture Book Review – Challah Day

November 21, 2023
goodreadswithronna
Ages 3-6, Baking & Cooking, Children's Book Reviews, Family - Parents, Holidays & Festivals - Jewish Holidays, Juvenile Fiction, Sabbath, Shabbat
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CHALLAH DAY

Written by Charlotte Offsay

Illustrated by Jason Kirschner

(Holiday House; $18.99, Ages 3-6)

Have you ever tasted challah French toast? Better yet, challah stuffing at Thanksgiving? I adore it! My husband scores big points when he brings some challah home. You may compare it to brioche, but there are some differences setting them apart, the biggest being butter. There is no dairy in challah. Try it sometime and I have a feeling you’ll agree with me.

So now let’s find out about Challah Day written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Jason Kirschner, a rhyming picture book released this past summer that I’ve been eager to read as not only a fan of the bread but of the author, too!

Challah Day spread 1 pour the yeast in. — Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. Text copyright © 2023 by Charlotte Offsay. Illustrations copyright © 2023 by Jason Kirschner. All Rights Reserved.

The story introduces a jubilant young narrator describing challah day at her house. Together, her family members ready the dough for this delicious egg bread. Challah is eaten on Shabbat (Sabbath) as well as throughout the year except on Passover. She takes readers through all the steps via top-notch rhyme (see sample below) making this an irresistible year-round read-aloud. As the preparations get underway, the words flow off the page and little tummies may start to growl. Baby is humorously included in the illustrations as well as an adorable corgi who just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

Yeast and sugar – water’s warm,
mix and watch those bubbles form!
Crack the eggs – one… two… three… four
Extra if some hit the floor.

The above stanza is from one of my favorite spreads in the kitchen where so much of the story’s action unfolds. Kirschner’s even spelled out Challah Day on the fridge in the form of magnets. Clever! The palette with lots of pale pinks and greens is pleasing and upbeat with a slightly retro feel, especially in Baby’s hairstyle and the kitchen design.

Everything comes together when the challah is cooked and special guests arrive—Grandma and Grandpa! Now that we’ve seen how it’s all done, it’s time to light the Shabbat candles and then enjoy the challah homemade with heart and lots of fun too! So much joy has gone into the baking and now we can delight (albeit vicariously) in the delicious taste of every last morsel. The love this family shares as they practice this beautiful tradition emanates from every page and spending time with them cooking may just get your family to start doing likewise.

Challah Day spread2 homemade challah from the heart — Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. Text copyright © 2023 by Charlotte Offsay. Illustrations copyright © 2023 by Jason Kirschner. All Rights Reserved.

There are even four pages of back matter including an Author’s Note, interesting info about challah (find out what the braiding symbolizes), and the recipe that the author uses to make her family’s challah which I am eager to bake!

Click here to download the recipe kit.

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Children’s Book Review – Make More S’Mores

August 10, 2023
goodreadswithronna
Ages 4-8, Animals, Animals - Bears, Children's Book Reviews, Emotions & Feelings, Friendship, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Fiction - Family Juvenile Fiction - Animals, Kindness, Manners & Etiquette, Raccoons, Rhyming book, Woods & Forests

MAKE MORE S’MORES

Written by Cathy Ballou Mealey

Illustrated by Ariel Landy

(Sleeping Bear Press; $18.99, Ages 4-8)

Not only does this picture book have a yummy title,
but it’s recommended reading for National S’Mores Day
(well, any day really if you love a rhyming read-aloud).

Roscoe adores an irresistible, roasty, toasty s’more, and is just about to raccoon-down the one he’s cooked over “glowing coals,” when an uninvited grizzly bear shows up asking, “Is that for me?” What’s a hungry raccoon to do? Well, much to readers’ delight, Roscoe doesn’t hesitate to share in Make More S’Mores.

Now that our appetites have been whet, we’re treated to page after hilarious page of an upbeat rhyming tale that sees more unexpected visitors appear. Charming twin bear cubs to be exact. Of course, everyone cannot wait to eat the scrumptious s’mores Roscoe prepares over the campfire and so generously shares (the big takeaway from this terrific picture book).

It’s such fun to watch Grizzly Bear, clearly frustrated by the bear cubs’ presence. He’d be happier had no one else showed up. More snackers mean less for him and longer to wait!

Roscoe, on the other hand, is preoccupied with catering to everyone else that he’s not had a bite! And when some crafty squirrels and soaring flames scupper his marshmallow roasting, it’s time to find a better stick.

Soon Mama Bear arrives on the scene and assists Roscoe to the delight of her twins and Roscoe. “Grizzly groans. ‘Another guest?’ But Roscoe does not seem distressed.” Poor Grizzly Bear! I love all the expressions Landy has given the animals. They run the gamut from disappointment to joy, from annoyance to contentedness. The lovely palette featuring sunset colors followed by rich blues and purples, all accented by Grizzly Bear’s graham cracker-colored fur is totally pleasing.

After the four VERY s’mored-up guests head to their dens, Roscoe snoozes in the hollow of a tree. A sweet and successful evening has come to a sleepy, s’moreful and snoreful end. What a satisfying, any-time-of-the-day story to share with your children. Roscoe’s modeling of sharing and making new friends is a rewarding one. One final note, look out for the squirrels’ antics in the closing spread. Happy eating and reading!

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Find out more about Cathy here.
Find out more about Ariel here.

A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale by Penny Parker Klostermann

February 23, 2018
goodreadswithronna
Ages 5-8, Children's Book Reviews, Fairy Tale, Fractured Fairytale, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction

A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE
Written by Penny Parker Klostermann
Illustrated by Ben Mantle
(Random House BYR; $17.99, Ages 5-8)

Author Penny Parker Klostermann and illustrator Ben Mantle add just the right ingredients to A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale, a fractured fairy tale that spices up some of our favorite classics.

The story takes place in “the magical land of fairy tales” where our hero, William, resides. Though it may seem like the perfect place to live, something is missing for William: an outlet to express his culinary artistry. In his endeavor to make his dream come true, he works as a chef in local restaurants, The Brick House and The Bears Bistro; but when the work proves far too dangerous and painstaking, respectively, he decides to cook from his own kitchen. With just a few coins left in his cookie jar, he heads out to the marketplace and purchases what he thinks are ordinary ingredients: raw apples, beans, and a pumpkin—items central to the plot of three specific fairy tales. These items are intended for delivery to Fairy Tale Headquarters. Convinced that Fairy Tale Headquarters simply “needs a good chef to spice things up,” William transforms each item into an exquisite dish and heads off to deliver them to their intended destination.

Interior illustrations from A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale — Interior spread from A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale by Penny Parker Klostermann with illustrations by Ben Mantle, Random House BYR ©2017.

But William soon discovers his creations pose a possible threat to the children’s bedtime tales. His delicious creations are recreating the endings. Fortunately and most pleasantly, his creative flare produces an even more “happily ever after” than the original story lines.

A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale isn’t the usual fractured fairy tale in which a single tale is twisted, altered, or updated in some way. William is a unique character living in the land of familiar fairy tales. Klostermann’s frame technique draws us into the story of our hero who unintentionally disrupts the familiar, immerses himself into these stories, and ultimately becomes part of one. Children will get a kick out of the creative and comical changes that take place in the plot. I can imagine them laughing out loud about what “should” have happened.

Interior illustration from A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale — Interior spread from A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale by Penny Parker Klostermann with illustrations by Ben Mantle, Random House BYR ©2017.

Mantle’s illustrations delightfully blend the familiar and unfamiliar as well. Vertical lines move the plot along in an energetic and steady direction. At the same time, Mantle’s soft color palette creates a comfortable, safe and calm tone, and his curved drawings sprinkle in the fun.

I would recommend this book to children who enjoy lighthearted, wacky tales and to parents/caregivers who enjoy reading stories that celebrate creativity and individuality. The book’s underlying message of how our creative endeavors give us agency to write our own stories is something I truly appreciate and admire.