Medea Kalantar's Blog - Posts Tagged "baking"
Editorial Book Review for A Family Of Spices
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Nala's grandma is one smart cookie. She is determined for her granddaughter to know exactly how special she is. She has a unique way of explaining to Nala that she is a blend of all of her parents' and grandparents' heritages. When Nala stops by for a visit with her grandma, the two of them set about making her family's famous honeycake. Nala, ever curious, asks her grandma why her pet name is "Honeycake," and the story begins.
Medea Kalantar's Honeycake: A Family of Spices gives young readers a fantastic story with which to relate. Nala, the story's main character visits with her grandmother and hears from her exactly how special her family's background is. As her grandmother proceeds to bake with Nala, she explains in detail the ancestry of each side of Nala's family and how the two families blend together to make unique individuals.
It is quite uncommon to find stories explaining heritage to children of elementary age, and Kalantar has certainly delivered a memorable story. When Nala's grandmother relates cultural diversity to the many spices and ingredients required to make her honeycake, young readers are handed a scenario that is easy to follow and is presented in a manner that has been carefully crafted to demonstrate to readers the way in which they, too, are extraordinary.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Kalantar's writing is her comment on the human race. The author is careful to emphasize that no matter one's ancestry, we are all part of one race. This is a message seldom seen in books for young readers and is quite refreshing.
As an elementary teacher, I highly recommend Honeycake: A Family of Spices to anyone looking to teach or emphasize the appreciation of diversity to young readers."
Literary Titan
"Nala's grandma is one smart cookie. She is determined for her granddaughter to know exactly how special she is. She has a unique way of explaining to Nala that she is a blend of all of her parents' and grandparents' heritages. When Nala stops by for a visit with her grandma, the two of them set about making her family's famous honeycake. Nala, ever curious, asks her grandma why her pet name is "Honeycake," and the story begins.
Medea Kalantar's Honeycake: A Family of Spices gives young readers a fantastic story with which to relate. Nala, the story's main character visits with her grandmother and hears from her exactly how special her family's background is. As her grandmother proceeds to bake with Nala, she explains in detail the ancestry of each side of Nala's family and how the two families blend together to make unique individuals.
It is quite uncommon to find stories explaining heritage to children of elementary age, and Kalantar has certainly delivered a memorable story. When Nala's grandmother relates cultural diversity to the many spices and ingredients required to make her honeycake, young readers are handed a scenario that is easy to follow and is presented in a manner that has been carefully crafted to demonstrate to readers the way in which they, too, are extraordinary.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Kalantar's writing is her comment on the human race. The author is careful to emphasize that no matter one's ancestry, we are all part of one race. This is a message seldom seen in books for young readers and is quite refreshing.
As an elementary teacher, I highly recommend Honeycake: A Family of Spices to anyone looking to teach or emphasize the appreciation of diversity to young readers."
Literary Titan
