picture books

[a most aromatic review] Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano and Marjorie Priceman

~ jama ~ 15 Comments

Mmmmmm! There’s nothing like the tantalizing aroma of a brand new picture book to put me in a happy holiday mood. Even better when it’s been cooked up by two immensely talented women — multiple Emmy award winner Sonia Manzano and two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marjorie Priceman.

Miracle on 133rd Street (Atheneum, 2015) contains just the right ingredients for a satisfying, heartwarming read: family, friends, neighbors, sharing, a little bit of magic, music, and even a mustached pizza chef!

Most important, this story is about the power of food — to soothe the savage breast, bring people together, and beget joy.

The food in question is a roast. A BIG roast. One that’s too big to fit in the oven. It’s Christmas Eve and Mami is beside herself. She’s also homesick for Puerto Rico, where she could have easily cooked the roast outside. Jokingly, young José says what they need is a big pizza oven. Papi thinks that’s actually a good idea, so they put the roast in a big box to take it to Regular Ray’s Pizzeria.

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Aaron Reynolds

~ jama ~ 12 Comments
Aaron Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of loads of kids books like NERDY BIRDY, CARNIVORES, and the Caldecott-Honor winner CREEPY CARROTS. He regularly makes time for school visits, where his silly, hilarious, and hands-on presentations mesmerize kids and teachers alike. Aaron lives in Chicago.

 

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Butterbeer. Have you had the official stuff at Harry Potter World in Florida? It’s insanely good. It should require a prescription.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: Nerdy Birdy, illustrated by Matt Davies (Roaring Brook Press, September 2015). Forthcoming: President Squid, illustrated by Sara Varon (Chronicle Books, March 1, 2016).

 

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: I’m a big fan right now of Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney (Sterling, 2015). 

☕ Visit Aaron Reynolds’s Official Website 

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out my tasty interview with Aaron about CARNIVORES!

☕ ☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Cool and interesting interview about Nerdy Birdy. Is it just me, or does the interviewer, Becky Anderson, resemble Vicki Lawrence from the Carol Burnett Show? Same lovely smile 🙂

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Copyright © 2015 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

 

[Review, Author Chat and Recipe] Time for Cranberries by Lisl H. Detlefsen and Jed Henry

~ jama ~ 36 Comments

No holiday table would be complete without beautiful festive cranberries. Whether you like your cranberry sauce fresh or from a can, there’s just something about that deep red color and distinctive tartness that speaks to cherished tradition and good times.

Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce via Kitchen Treaty

Alongside the magnificent gobbler and tricked-out starchy sides, cranberry sauce is like the pampered guest who knows it was invited to dinner just as much for its prettiness as its flavor. Not snobby in the least, cranberries enjoy being appreciated for their good looks.

In the past I’ve made lovely cranberry wreaths for the front door, strung garlands of it with popcorn to adorn our Christmas tree, baked them into muffins and breads, and made a delicious relish with grated orange rind. Often, if I’m asked to bring a side dish on Thanksgiving, I’ll make a cooked cranberry gelatin mold — one part retro, two parts jiggle. 🙂

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[review + recipes] The Little Kids’ Table by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle and Mary Reaves Uhles

~ jama ~ 42 Comments

The holidays are here and you know what that means: fun and “interesting” gatherings with family and friends, a time when we’re especially happy to hear these two little words: LET’S EAT!!

When all your favorite dishes magically appear on the table, where will you sit?

 

I love when we visit my grandma Mabel.
I get to sit at the little kids’ table!

The young narrator in this hilarious new rhyming picture book, The Little Kids’ Table, couldn’t be happier. After all, he knows he and his cousins are in for a rollicking good time. Unlike his parents, who must sit at the grown-ups’ table (“so shiny and fancy,/and has pretty flowers from my aunt Nancy”), they will, among other things, get to fiddle with their flatware:

 

Next to our forks we have spoons at our places.
We try to get them to stick to our faces.

First you breathe on the spoon, then press it on tight.
It’ll hang from your nose if you do it just right.

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: René Colato Laínez

~ jama ~ 11 Comments
René Colato Laínez is an award winning Salvadoran author of many multicultural books. He is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults. René is a bilingual elementary teacher at Fernangeles Elementary School, where he is known by the students as “the teacher full of stories.” He lives in Los Angeles.</em.

 

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Hot chocolate.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: ¡Vámonos! Let’s Go! illustrated by Joe Cepeda, (Holiday House, Fall 2015).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto (J. P. Putnam’s, 1993); All of Jorge Argueta’s un poema para cocinar (cooking poem) books: Sopa de frijoles/Bean Soup (2009), Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding (2010), Guacamole (2012), Tamalitos (2013), Salsa (2015).

☕ hotTEA IN THE FLESH:

VI Festival internacional de poesía infantil “Manyula”del 16 al 20 de noviembre de 2015 en la Biblioteca Nacional “Francisco Gavidia”, El Salvador.

VI International Children’s Poetry Festival “Manyula”, November 16-20, at the National Library “Francisco Gavidia,” El Salvador.

☕ Visit René Colato Laínez’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP:

Hot Chocolate Poem

Uno, dos, tres cho
Uno, dos, tres co
Uno, dos, tres la
Uno, dos, tres te
chocolate, chocolate
bate, bate el chocolate

One, two, three cho
One, two, three co
One, two, three la
One, two, three te
chocolate, chocolate
stir, stir the chocolate

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Copyright © 2015 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.