Children's Books discussion

In November and December, our focus will be on picture books highlighting meals shared in a spirit of family, friendship, community -- a celebration of the way food can bring us together.

This November 2020, as those of us in the USA will be looking toward a Thanksgiving celebration that may find us physically distant from friends and family (our Canadian already celebrated Thanksgiving last month) and to a holiday season that often includes food as part of the festivities, let's nourish ourselves with books that show what we crave and what we hope to be able to enjoy in person again next year.

My initial thought was books focusing on festivities, holidays, large gatherings... but I also want to acknowledge that some shared meals are born of hardship so the focus need not be on meals shared only between family and friends for celebration but also books that might feature food kitchens and the like. Also, that some families may not have large extended family gatherings but a special meal prepared together is still cause for celebration or that on even the most ordinary of days, sometimes it's a simple family meal in ones own home that is really something special.

So, for purposes of this theme, the shared meal can be as simple as a nuclear family preparing and enjoying a meal together, all the way up to large gatherings, holiday-centered or not. So, really, any picture book showing dear ones or strangers brought together through a shared meal is welcome and encouraged :-)

(Please let me know if any questions, it's been quite a long week and I may not be making as much sense as I hope to be!)

I'm hoping to get these from the library this month. Judging from the descriptions, I'm hoping they will fit the theme:

Community Soup

Everybody Serves Soup

Don't Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table

The Little Kids' Table

Grandma's Tiny House: A Counting Story!

Feast for 10

Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice

No Kimchi for Me!

Soup Day

Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup

Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji

A few that I've read already and enjoyed:

Thanksgiving in the Woods I really thought this would be a five-star book for me based on the cover art and concept. I still think the true story this based on is lovely -- I would love to go to a thanksgiving in the woods -- but the storytelling and illustrations just didn't deliver as much as I hoped. There's nothing wrong with it, and maybe had I not been eagerly anticipating this for a year for the library to get a copy, I wouldn't have felt a smidge disappointed. As it is, I just didn't really feel that I was made part of the story or that I really got to know the family involved. I didn't feel that emotional resonance I expected. Also, the illustrations and text are kind of at odds -- the text sets the scene on the first page and mentions this takes place "when branches lie bare" and yet the illustrations throughout are a riot of color with bright yellow and orange leaves in the trees all around. I kept wondering if the illustrations were "embellished" to make scenes prettier and that they weren't a very accurate representation of the real natural surroundings for these thanksgivings in the woods (I am guessing that, at least most years, the deciduous trees in Upstate New York have lost their leaves by Thanksgiving). These quibbles aside, it's a nice story to share at Thanksgiving -- the idea of including so many friends and neighbors (I believe it is over 200 people who gather) and building the Thanksgiving in the Woods with bringing all the supplies out to the farm, working together, it's a very joyous and positive experience. I also appreciate that we get different setting from most Thanksgiving tales that take place indoors.

Too Many Tamales I really liked this one! I just love the warmth and humor in the illustrations and the story is so perfect in how it captures the inner turmoil of the girl and, gosh, it was so funny discovering why the title is "Too Many Tamales" ;-p I also just really appreciated the feeling of family and togetherness that the story brought, especially in the final scenes with everyone in the kitchen. It was also nice to see that the adults weren't too harsh on the girl, knowing she had already realized the error in her ways and that all was well. Definitely a heartwarming Christmas tale

Cora Cooks Pancit I love this book! I kind of knew I would just by the cover--something about Cora's expression just really touched me. The story itself is not only about delicious food, but about what it feels like to be the youngest in the family--and what it feels like to finally get to do "grown-up" things. I think the first illustration of Cora sitting on the floor, licking the spoon (the only way she could "help" with the cooking) while her older siblings and Mom are busy in the kitchen is just so perfect at conveying all of this! We see Cora's wish to do more, we see her limited perspective (lots of legs of the taller people, and not even the top of the counter--poor girl can't even see all the cooking going on!) I just love it when Cora asks if she can help cook and her mom is so encouraging. And the tradition with her grandfather's red apron is just so sweet and shows how family tradition is so often tied to food. The illustrations are utterly charming--I love, love, love them! And I really want to try some pancit now! ;-) There's a recipe in the back but I'll have to wait until I can eat rice again before I try it


Plant a Little Seed A great story about two friends who plant and tend to vegetables in their community garden. It's a lovely friendship story and also an educational one regarding how plants grow, the different types of fruits and vegetables, etc. I think the story would be suitable for any time of year as it follows the planting-growing-harvesting cycle through the seasons and culminates with a (Thanksgiving?) feast as the children share the bounty with their family members.
ETA 2020: this is now one of my youngest son’s favorite books. we reread it frequently and I never tire of it.

I failed to write reviews of these when I read them but I remember thinking they were good:

Thank You, Omu!

Bee-bim Bop!

Several more to add but I'm out of time for this evening. Stay tuned! :-)

Also certainly versions of “Stone Soup” would be fitting.

I love this theme! Here are some of books we have and enjoy that fit this theme.

What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street?
This is more of a cookbook then storybook, but I shows each floor of an apartment where everyone is cooking a dish accompanied by its recipe and at the end everyone shares their food together in the garden.

Bilal Cooks Daal Bilal has a group of his friends over for the day to wait while his dad cooks daal. He’s not sure if they’ll enjoy it, but his friends are all excited to try something new and like it.

Bone Button Borscht A retelling of Stone Soup with an Eastern European/Jewish point of view.

Two books that pop into my mind right away...


How My Parents Learned to Eat

and


Everybody Cooks Rice

Well, for me, the Stone Soup folktale definitely has a great message of celebrating community and sharing, and in my opinion, Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup is still a total favourite, while Heather Forest’s version of the same, while her Stone Soup I do find a bit too didactic (even though I appreciate the included recipe and authors note).

Although in Eden Ross Lipton’s Applesauce Season, the applesauce in question is not being made the feed a whole community, I love the in my opinion community feel of the entire family helping to make the applesauce and then eating together.

Both A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841 and A Pioneer Christmas: Celebrating in the Backwoods in 1841 (set in the 19th century backwoods of what is now Canada and portraying a combination of fiction and non fiction) show how these celebrations were generally communal affaires with the entire family pitching in with regard to the preparation of the celebrations and that often, neighbours were invited to partake in the feasts and vice versa.

Shoshanah wrote: "I love this theme! Here are some of books we have and enjoy that fit this theme.."

So glad you love the theme, Shoshanah, happy to have you join us! :-) I love the suggestions you've made. Alas, my district doesn't have What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street? but I'll try to get it via ILL as it's just the sort of book I had in mind when creating the theme! Looks like I can get the Bilal book, though. Yay.

Kelly wrote: "Two books that pop into my mind right away...


How My Parents Learned to Eat

Thank you, Kelly! I've enjoyed that one ever since I first saw it on Reading Rainbow as a child.

Everybody Cooks Rice is part of the same series as the Everybody Serves Soup that I mentioned. Neat! There's actually a whole series along these lines. The other two are Everybody Bakes Bread and Everybody Brings Noodles. Fun! :-)

Manybooks wrote: "Well, for me, the Stone Soup folktale definitely has a great message of celebrating community and sharing, and in my opinion, Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup is still a total favourite, whi..."

Yes, Brown's version is a classic for good reason.

Manybooks wrote: "Although in Eden Ross Lipton’s Applesauce Season, the applesauce in question is not being made the feed a whole community, I love the in my opinion community feel of the entire famil..."

Thank you for mentioning this one. It was only a three star book for me, as I recall I wasn't totally wowed by the story or illustrations, but I do think it's completely fitting of this theme and I know several GR friends who awarded it four stars so it's definitely worth recommending to anyone interested in the subject.

Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya Good story about gathering food at market for what ends up being a community meal -- a bit of the "stone soup" concept of making a little go a long way -- with some wonderful Kenyan ambiance. The back matter includes information on rural Kenyan communities, the country and geography of Kenya and a pronunciation guide for the Kiswahili words.

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 not my cup of tea, and I thought the story was just a bit too sparse and nothing really "special" in the telling--but I could totally see my kid-self LOVING this book. I would be absolutely obsessed with the idea of getting to go to a restaurant and pick out my own "little" dishes of food. Oh my, what fun! And, okay, even as an adult I am kind of enamored with the idea and want to go to a Dim Sum bar now! I actually really liked the note at the back of the book explaining the history of dim sum--I love learning more about food and cultures!

Great theme! I'll have to find time to participate. Some of these I have read and I could bring my reviews here, but others I would love to read. Besides Stone Soup (and I'll have to dig out the variation I remember loving best), the first that came to mind for me was:

The Thanksgiving Door
I had not much to say, only 'Important theme, successfully and delightfully illustrated. not sure why it's not in every library.'

Cheryl wrote: "Great theme! I'll have to find time to participate. Some of these I have read and I could bring my reviews here, but others I would love to read. Besides Stone Soup (and I'll have to dig out the va..."

So glad you're joining us, Cheryl! :-)

I loved The Thanksgiving Door, I'm delighted you mentioned it. It was five stars for me. My review: Loved this! It's told simply but with great heart and really captures the spirit of thanksgiving in terms of opening your heart to others and embracing gratitude and joy (even in unexpected places). It's also an immigrant story and I think that's wonderful in conjunction with Thanksgiving (after all, the colonists at the first thanksgiving were immigrants, too, in a way!) showing how the old world customs combine lovingly with the new country they have come to embrace. Love that it shows the unexpected benefits that come from facing "mistakes" with grace and humor. The illustrations are colorful and really add to the flavor of the tale, and it's great that the cover art is really the first glimpse into the action of the story. Highly recommended!

Thank You, Omu!

Although the accompanying illustrations of Oge Mora's Thank You, Omu! would generally and aesthetically speaking be just a bit too cartoon-like for them to be considered absolute personal favourites, I have indeed been more than pleasantly surprised at how much I have visually enjoyed them and how the pictures both colour scheme and general descriptiveness wise do indeed work very well with the author/illustrator's presented verbal narrative, how glowingly both text and images mirror and reflect the importance of being good neighbours and sharing, of giving freely and without second thought (and even if one literally gives away everything, like how Omu gives away all of her stew, all of her supper fare, that in a thriving and vibrant, that in a caring and community oriented neighbourhood, good deeds will fortunately not like that silly saying states end up resulting in personal punishment but will instead mostly if not always have positive effects and help cement and strengthen neighbourhood ties).

Educational without being didactic, I love the naturally multicultural feel of Thank you, Omu! and that everyone (ethnicity notwithstanding) appreciates both Omu and her delicious red stew, that Omu's doors are indeed welcomingly open to absolutely one and all, including members of the police, as well as the mayor (and yes, I have also very much enjoyed reading how according to Oge Mora's author's note, Omu's name might mean queen in the Igbo language of her Nigerian parents but for her, growing up, it was the name she called her grandmother). A simple but magical combination of Oge Mora's lovingly tender (and obviously from the author's note also her grandmother honouring) printed words and bright collage like illustrations, Thank you, Omu! has been a surprisingly sweet reading experience for me (with especially the final illustration of Omu and everyone to whom she had doled out some of her delicious red stew during the day enjoying a spontaneous supper party tugging at my heartstrings, and indeed, I also kind of had to smile at the scene of the hot dog vendor coming up to get some of Omu's delicious stew, that Omu's cookery is definitely and naturally much more enticing taste and scent wise to the hot dogs, to the so-called street meat it is his job to sell day in and day out). And really, the only inclusion to Thank you, Omu! that would in my opinion make this book even better would be a featured recipe for Omu's red stew (as I for one love soups and stews and would majorly enjoy trying my hand at cooking this for myself).

The Apple Cake

Nienke van Hichtum's The Apple Cake (Het Appeltulbandje) is a sweetly entertaining and originally Dutch cumulative tale about a diminutive little old lady, about a grandmother par excellence wanting (needing) apples to make a cake for her supper and trading a basket of ripe red plums (for she does have plums, but not the necessary apples) for feathers, then the feathers for a bouquet of flowers, the flowers for a gold chain, the gold chain for a little dog, and the little dog then finally for some apples.

There are messages of both inventiveness and also being kind and compassionate to one's neighbours presented throughout The Apple Cake (for the grandmother actually gives the gold chain she had received for the flower bouquet and which she could well have used to purchase apples at the local market to the mother of a poor and starving family without expecting anything in return, but who then gives granny the family's pet dog as a present of gratitude, and finally, the grandmother giving the little white dog to a lonely old man in exchange for apples from his fruit laden tree is also first and foremost an act of kindness, as he tells her he would rather have a dog for company than be sad and lonely). Thus, each person is helped with and by the bartering and exchanging, and in the end, granny does indeed also get her desire, a delicious apple cake (and the recipe for a Dutch apple cake, for the cake in question, is also featured on the back cover of The Apple Cake, perhaps a bit hard to read, as the font size is rather small, but still much appreciated and delicious looking, although the recipe does require a yeast dough, and is thus not as simple as a standardly North American apple pie and will also take more time, as with yeast there is of course the time necessary for the dough to rise to be considered).

Now with regard to Marjan van Zeal's accompanying illustrations, they are brightly expressive in scope, in feel, and look like they might in fact be pastels, colourfully descriptive (with many beautiful flowers), realistic, but at the same time, rather impressionistic, and very Dutch, very Western Europe countryside in theme, mostly very much an aesthetic pleasure, working exceedingly well with Nienke van Hichtum's presented narrative (although up close, the young man entirely clad in yellow to whom the grandmother gives the flowers and who gives her the golden chain does tend to appear a trifle too effeminate for me).

Three and a half stars for The Apple Tree and the ONLY reason I have not rated the book with four stars is that personally, I find it rather majorly annoying that my copy, that my edition (published by Floris Books of Edinburgh) lists neither the original Dutch title nor the name of the translator or adapter. And sadly, this is actually an issue I have encountered rather too often with especially Floris Books (and truly, for me, there is absolutely no legitimate reason to not list the original Dutch title, and it drives me personally batty that for so many of Floris Books' children's literature translations and/or adaptations, the translators/adaptors are not listed, that they often remain anonymous, and I find this even more problematic with regard to this here book, since on the Goodreads book page, Polly Lawson is listed as translator, but her name most definitely does NOT appear in my Floris Books 2014 seventh printing of The Apple Cake).

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 de frijoles: Bean Soup, to and for me, this lyrical and joyful recipe poem for a traditional and completely plant based, read vegan Latin American (from Mexico to Central America) inspired bean, onion and garlic soup has most certainly hit my proverbial sweet spot in every way (showing and demonstrating with both the author's delicately simple but nevertheless always spiritual words and Rafael Yockteng's colourfully muted accompanying illustrations an exuberant young boy, patiently, poetically and with very much happiness and enthusiasm explaining how one cooks, how one prepares a delicious and healthy, comforting soup, a both body and soul nourishing meal simply made from the basic ingredients of beans, onions, garlic and of course water). Now the Spanish text does perhaps feel and read somewhat more descriptively and colourfully metaphorically than the English language translation, but still and nevertheless, I do find it majorly cheering and delightful that Jorge Argueta has definitely tried very hard to make both the Spanish and English versions of his recipe poem appear as mirrors of one another (and although personally, I did and do find the presented similes and metaphors a bit more immediate and more intensely emotional in Spanish, they do indeed and definitely appear as well enough and descriptively enough rendered into English and are, at least in my opinion, also not simply pale and lifeless reflections).

A fun and engaging way to introduce basic Latin American comfort food cookery, as well as practice the Spanish language (and of course in particular cooking terms and poetic, metaphorical language), with accompanying illustrations that are from a colour scheme point of view spot on and very much sweetly aesthetically pleasant (and as such also a perfect compliment to the lyrical verses of Jorge Argueta's text, although I do tend to find that Rafael Yockteng should really have made the young boy's eyes a bit larger and not just have left them as either tiny little dots or closed eye slits), but most definitely a high four star ranking for Sopa de frijoles: Bean Soup (and indeed and furthermore, I also very much appreciate that from a linguistic comparison and contrast point of view, in Sopa de frijoles: Bean Soup, the English text appears directly underneath the Spanish version, as that certainly has made at least for my eyes and my manner of reading, checking the English translation much easier and less potentially confusing than if the English text were located as is usually and genrally the case with dual language books, immediately across from the Spanish words, and indeed, I was also and most pleasantly surprised at how many of the Spanish words of Sopa de frijoles: Bean Soup I actually either knew or quickly remembered from my university level Spanish courses of the 1980s, which really really does make me totally smile).

And I love how the entire family helps to cook and hope the prepared and yet very simple meal is a total family celebration.

I've asked my librarians for a "book bundle" on the theme... it'll be fun to see what they can find.

Cheryl wrote: "I've asked my librarians for a "book bundle" on the theme... it'll be fun to see what they can find."

Oooh, that will be fun. I'm excited to see what they come up with! :-)
(Very cool that your library offers that service where you can choose the theme of the bundle!)

Ok, they've checked them out. I don't know authors (so common titles are unclear) but here's the list:

Title:The perfect Thanksgiving /

Title:Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' /

Title:Chicken Sunday /

Title:The firefighters' Thanksgiving /

Title:The sandwich swap /

Title:Too many tamales /

Title:Dumpling soup /

Title:Bee-bim bop! /

Title:The ugly vegetables /

Title:Who's that knocking on Christmas Eve? /

Title:Stone Soup

Title:The seven silly eaters /

Title:Marge's diner /

Title:We are the gardeners /

Title:Bread and jam for Frances.

The Sandwich Swap looked really good. I liked the theme but the story was a bit lacking for me.

Bread and Jam for Frances I adored Frances when I was a toddler! She probably got me to eat PBJ sandwiches.

Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? is a little weird but I love Jan Brett's illustrations.

I don't think I've looked at any of the others but I look forward to seeing your reviews. I can request a book bundle on a theme too but I choose not to fill up my hold list that way.

Good list! I recognize a lot from my own childhood and from my days teaching in the classroom. There are a couple of titles that are new to me... time to go to the library!

QNPoohBear wrote: "The Sandwich Swap looked really good. I liked the theme but the story was a bit lacking for me.

Bread and Jam for Frances I adored Frances when I was a toddler! She pr..."

I’ve always loved Bread and Jam for Frances! I actually really enjoy The Sandwich Swap. We don’t have a copy, but I’ve bought it as a gift several times.

A Medieval Feast
My daughter asked to read this last night and it reminded me it fits the theme as well. The first part of the book shows the castle preparing for the arrival of the King and Queen and also the royal party traveling to the castle. But most impressive is the end, describing and seeing illustrations of all these over the top Medieval dishes.

Dinnertime for Zaza looks good for this category. The library only has one copy on order and a hold!

Bear Says Thanks also sounds perfect for this category. Everyone wants to read this right now so I don't know if I can get it.

Sharing Christmas sounds just about right for this year.

Quill Soup: A Stone Soup Story looks fun and unique.

I will be requesting Peanut Butter & Aliens: A Zombie Culinary Tale for zombie boy nephew! He loved Peanut Butter & Brains: A Zombie Culinary Tale

Others I found include
Our Little Kitchen
Summer Supper
An Apple Pie for Dinner
Jack & the Hungry Giant Eat Right with MyPlate
Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie: A Thanksgiving Celebration
Porcupine's Picnic: Who Eats What?
The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes

I guess I'm slow... why do several of you, and my librarian, think Bread and Jam for Frances fits the theme? I mean, sure, the family eats together, as do the classmates... but I think making the connection to the idea of celebrations of community (my simplistic idea of the theme) is quite a stretch. Please, what am I missing?

But oh gosh I want those school lunches!

Seven Silly Eaters is not to my taste at all. I'm not sure it fits, either.

Chicken Sunday is a gorgeous classic, and if anyone has not read it yet, well, they should! :)

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown is the one given me. It fits the theme perfectly, of course, with the three soldiers who trick the stingy villagers into having a festival. Personally, I prefer the smaller scale versions, in which a few ppl realize that a little of this & a little of that can make a meal.

Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? is an interesting take on the theme, too... not sure if I'd use it if I were trying to actually help young children understand the meaning of the theme. But it's a fun book, with Brett's artwork.

(Those of you with hold limits... you might want to call the library and get a waiver so you can get a bundle. I bet they'd be sufficiently eager to get circulation numbers that they'd do it. And if you don't have a bundle service, call and ask for one!

Librarians go into the profession to serve patrons, and active patrons give them data they can take to the city's budget meetings.)

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli, with the new illustrations by Maryann Cocca-Leffler is a hoot, and definitely fits the theme well.

The other edition, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons', with the even newer illustrations featuring wolves instead of humans, by Megan Lloyd, appeals to me even more.

I don't quite understand the sequence of illustrators though and don't know what the original art looked like. Nor do I know if there are other books featuring the Tappletons, but there certainly should be, imo!

Spinelli has another book on the theme: The Perfect Thanksgiving. Whether your gathering includes lace napkins and tots who share toys, or an uncle who burps and a store-bought pie, it can be the perfect holiday (if there's love, presumably). Illustrations make it clear that these families are exaggerated for comic effect, and that the creators hope that the reader's falls somewhere in between.

The Firefighters' Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts is even more serious... how can the crew (nicely diverse, btw) have a holiday when there are so many calls? Lilting rhymes keep the tone from being too intense, and there's a happy ending... let's hope that at least one reader realizes that carelessness endangers more than the turkey.

Cheryl wrote: "I guess I'm slow... why do several of you, and my librarian, think Bread and Jam for Frances fits the theme? I mean, sure, the family eats together, as do the classmates... but I think making the c..."

I suppose the theme is somewhat open to personal interpretation of what would constitute a special shared family meal or "celebration" though I admit that Bread and Jam for Francis doesn't initially fit my idea of the theme, either (though it is a favorite book of mine). I suppose maybe it's a celebration that she is finally open to eating a variety of foods again? I could see where it would feel like a celebration from the parents' perspective! ;-)

Cheryl wrote: "Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli, with the new illustrations by Maryann Cocca-Leffler is a hoot, and definitely fits the theme well.
..."

Yup, that's a good one!

Thanksgiving Is Here! is another good one. I've liked Diane Goode's illustrations since I was a child so this one has nostalgic appeal for me.

I can't remember specifics as to how much the feast is involved but I remember this was wonderful: Nickommoh!: A Thanksgiving Celebration

Speaking of holiday celebrations (though not necessarily December ones) I am going to try and find some picture books about Eid as that would definitely fit the theme, too.
The Best Eid Ever
Rashad's Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr

Excited to get going on the picture books I brought home from the library today and hope to get reviews posted this weekend.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Dinnertime for Zaza looks good for this category. The library only has one copy on order and a hold!

Bear Says Thanks[bookco..."

We love [book:Bear Says Thanks|13544434]

I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the theme. Since it's so popular, maybe we can expand it into December and focus in then on the holiday-themed celebrations that take place that month as we have so many we could explore with Christmas, Hanukkah, etc.! :-)

I'd love to extend it, though I don't know how many more books I could find myself. Maybe I can find more on overdrive/libby.

Meanwhile, two of the books my library sent are about the benefits of vegetable (and to a less extent flower) gardening.

The large family in We Are the Gardeners certainly appreciates not only healthful fresh foods, but all the life lessons like patience and persistence. Their harvest meals are certainly celebratory, even if it's just the five kids and the two parents. It reads like a memoir, but was Dewey 635 (horticulture) in my library, which makes sense to me because there is enough information included to get a reader's family started on a garden of their own.

The Ugly Vegetables, written and illustrated as a debut by Grace Lin, is about growing Chinese vegetables even though everyone else grows flowers. Once they're harvested and cooked, though, the whole neighborhood comes together in community and joy.

I liked the information in Nickommoh!: A Thanksgiving Celebration but not so much the illustrations.

A Strawbeater's Thanksgiving is wonderful in both story and illustrations. The celebration includes music, dancing, food, drink and quilting.

Cheryl wrote: "I'd love to extend it, though I don't know how many more books I could find myself. Maybe I can find more on overdrive/libby.

Meanwhile, two of the books my library sent are about the benefits of ..."

Glad to hear it :-)

I really liked We Are the Gardeners when I read it a few years ago. I hadn't thought of it for this theme as I guess the "feast" part didn't really stay in my mind (I remember mostly the gardening aspect) but now that you mention it, it does fit!

QNPoohBear wrote: "IA Strawbeater's Thanksgiving is wonderful in both story and illustrations. The celebration includes music, dancing, food, drink and quilting.s..."

That sounds great!

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 just placed a request for this at the library. Eager to get it!

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..."

I think you will enjoy this. I also liked Arroz con leche / Rice Pudding by the same author, but sadly, the illustrations are not really to my taste.

What about Strega Nona? Does her magic pasta pot count as meal sharing? It makes enough for the whole village. My Nonnie didn't need magic to do THAT. Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup is another Tomie classic. The grandma shares her special chicken soup with her grandson's friend.

QNPoohBear wrote: "What about Strega Nona? Does her magic pasta pot count as meal sharing? It makes enough for the whole village. My Nonnie didn't need magic to do THAT.

;-) And, yes, I think it would definitely count.

Kathryn wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "What about Strega Nona? Does her magic pasta pot count as meal sharing? It makes enough for the whole village. My Nonnie didn't need magic to do THAT.

;-) And, ye..."

As would the similar folktales about magic porridge pots.

Bee-bim Bop! is about a Korean family's favorite meal. My four-star review:

I love that there's both a specific recipe, and a clear 'template' so I can make it my own. Especially as I have no access to specialty groceries here. Key are shredded pre-cooked omelets/scrambled eggs and rice. Suggested mix ins are strips of lightly cooked spinach, shredded & steamed carrots, bean cooked bean sprouts, kimchee. Marinade (if using strips of beef) is oil, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, scallions... I think I'd just use this as a dressing at the table. I might add some edamame or other beans for more protein.

Wonderful story about a hungry child 'helping' to make a special family dinner. We've read similar dozens of times before in American or European iterations... excellent to see a Korean family and dish.

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 of customs etc. And it's so fun, it's worth the time it would take to read it to littles. The illustrations could be redone and it would sell better now, almost 3 decades on. A recipe would be fun, but I suppose there are so many dumpling recipes that the fact that the technique is described is sufficient. The glossary has to use four different languages to include all the terms that might be unfamiliar to mainland white American children. I really want some dumplings now (but I like them as pot-stickers, fried up a bit to give a little bit of char).

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 go to waste. Trying on the ring, not so bad... enlisting cousins to try to get away with it, very bad.

But, it's a funny story that happens at a family Christmas gathering, so good for those of us who respect but don't celebrate the holiday.