Bark Twice for Murder (Orca Currents)

Written by John Lekich

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4148-2

120 pp.

Ages 9-12

RL 3.0

August 2025 

 

There may be a murder and some nefarious actions in John Lekich's latest hi-lo novel but, rest assured, regardless of the title, no dogs are injured, abused, or killed in Bark Twice for Murder. And though it may not be important to many readers, for this reader, it's critical. Instead, Bark Twice for Murder has food, humour, a mystery to solve, and a talking dog. See? Lots to love and nothing to fear.

 

Fourteen-year-old Harry lives with his grandmother Elinor since his parents were killed in a plane crash a few years earlier. His dad was a chef with a food truck named "Pasta Express," and his mom loved to bake. No surprise that Harry finds comfort—maybe a bit too much comfort, says his therapist—in cooking for others. Fortunately, he has lots of people to talk to after Elinor, who took over the food truck business and expanded it, has set up one truck outside of Vancouver's New Day Shelter to provide breakfasts and lunches for the unhoused. A lonely Harry likes getting to know the people there and becomes friendly with Stanley and his dog Waffles. The duo are noteworthy in several respects. First, Stanley was once a chef and begins to teach Harry how to cook and improve service. Second, he has conversations with Waffles who is a dog that hates being a dog. And when Rudy "the Worm" Carelli, a regular at their small takeout restaurant, tells Harry that Stanley has stolen a portrait from Rudy's father, and that Stanley is in danger, Harry gets involved.

 

But when Stanley is murdered, and Harry hears a voice in his head saying, "Somebody murdered my best friend" (p. 29), Harry is compelled to partner with Waffles to find Stanley's murderer and solve the mystery of the missing portrait of Rudy's grandmother.

John Lekich who first provided this reader with great laughs and characters in The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls (Orca, 2012) does so again in Bark Twice for Murder. His young protagonists always seem to get mixed up in some criminal activity but it's generally due to circumstances beyond their control and with them really trying to do good. And with some supernatural elements involving Waffles, both in his origin story and his ability to communicate with Stanley and then Harry, John Lekich surprises readers as well as makes them laugh. Add in characters named Jimmy the Fork, Carmine "the Cobra" Carelli, Shaky Sam, Rudy "the Worm" and, of course, Waffles the dog, and you've got a cast of quirky or unnerving personalities that take Harry out of his comfort zone and make him feel like he belongs.  

 

Don't be surprised if you can't figure out the mystery of the missing portrait or who murdered Stanley. John Lekich doesn't make it an easy solve, but he does let Harry solve it. Bark Twice for Murder may be a hi-lo story written at a third grade reading level, but John Lekich ensures that the story is intricate enough for older middle-grade readers to become invested in Harry's story and in solving the mystery. They might even get wrapped up in learning to cook risotto, lasagna, or minestrone. That's because John Lekich has seasoned this book with so much richness of story that they'll be barking—with laughter—for another. 

What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce?

Written by Sarah Jane Conklin

Illustrated by Venus Angelica

Monster House Publishing

978-1-99822-308-4

38 pp.

Ages 6-9

September 2024 

 

I can't think of a better picture book to share for Thanksgiving than What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce?, which will the first book I will have reviewed from New Brunswick's Monster House Publishing. I'm just thankful that I read it this week and was able to get a review out in a timely manner.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

As a child, Alanna helped her Nan in her garden, sowing seeds and bulbs for tomatoes and onions, garlic and herbs, and more. When they harvested, it was time to bring out the great big pot and start cooking. As their sauce cooks, Alanna is amazed by the aromas, both proud and intoxicated. But the smells that waft from their kitchen drift onto the street and draw neighbours and even strangers to the house. Even before the sauce is done, Nan tells visitors to come back for supper.

More people came to taste the sauce,

Its scent spilled through the town.

Her Nan invited all to dine,

Despite Alanna's frown.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

They all return, everyone bringing what they are able, whether it be drinks or spaghetti, bread or prayers of thanks. And, miraculously, there is enough for all. 

Later Alanna grows into a chef and holds dear that recipe, but she carries on the traditions of generosity and sharing, having learned that the secret ingredient was not something that had to be picked and chopped or squirrelled away in the pantry.

At 9 years of age, it was all about Alanna and what she wanted, from insisting that all the seeds were hers–"They're all mine!"–as is the sauce–"I picked clean each vine, the sauce is mine, I'll keep it all myself"–to her worry that there wouldn't be enough sauce for her if they shared with others. She couldn't see beyond herself. This isn't unusual for very young children who see everything that happens as it relates to them. Fortunately, Alanna has a very wise Nan who guides her to experience generosity and gratitude by opening her heart and her kitchen to all.

"If everyone would do their part–

Contribute what they're able,

There'll always be enough for all,

If just brought to the table."

Similar to the parable about the fish and the loves, What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? isn't about cooking or a recipe. It's about feeding masses with very little, all courtesy of a miracle. Nan's pot, even cauldron size, should only feed a limited number of people but, by some marvel, there is plenty. And there always is plenty in our world. People should not be going hungry. Author Sarah Jane Conklin, who currently lives in Nova Scotia but hails from Newfoundland, opens her story with a quote from Bono: "If you want to eliminate hunger, everybody has to be involved." Sarah Jane Conklin takes that sentiment and lodges it at a grass roots level in Nan's kitchen which she opens to everyone and anyone. Her secret sauce may draw them in, but everyone shares something, whether it be food, drink or sentiment, to turn a little sauce into a phenomenon to feel the belly and soul. And it's a lesson she teaches her grandchild by example.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

I didn't know the work of illustrator Venus Angelica, originally from Toronto and now of Fredericton, but, wow, did she take me into Nan's garden and her kitchen, and even onto the street from which strangers and neighbours alike are drawn in. Her palette of autumnal colours of red, orange, green and yellow reflect the time of the harvest and also the time of Thanksgiving. Moreover, though they are just cooking and eating, there is life in Venus Angelica's art, from the bounce of Alanna's long curly hair to the swirls of aromas wafting from their cooking pot. And there is always goodness in the smiles of those partaking in the sauce to those doing the dishes and especially for Alanna's Nan who gives without reservation.

 

Having recently filled my own kitchen with jars and jars of tomato sauce and salsa, What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? reminds me of the busyness and creation of good food. But it's the sharing of that food, giving without expectation, that brings the greatest joy and achieves the greatest good. So, this Thanksgiving, give thanks for food and give food to share, so that all have enough. And that's not much of a secret.

One Summer in Whitney Pier

Written by The Honourable Mayann Francis

Illustrated by Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77108-960-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-9

May 2022

The Honourable Mayann Francis, Nova Scotia's first Black lieutenant-governor, takes us back to the Cape Breton community of her youth, a place of diversity that gives her the context for her latter vocation. This story takes place two years later from Mayann's First Ride, Mayann Francis's first collaboration with artist Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo, and during a 1950s summer which is bountiful with possibilities, even if Mayann doesn't see them at first.

From One Summer in Whitney Pier by Mayann Francis, illus. by Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo

With her best friends Eunice and Betty going away, Mayann is faced with filling her time. Though baseball seems a possibility, the Hankard Street Crew tell her she is too young. When she tells her father, a church minister, that there's nothing to do, he suggests she help her mother and him to see how much there really is to do. 

From One Summer in Whitney Pier by Mayann Francis, illus. by Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo

There's cooking of her many favourite Caribbean meals, learning to make fudge and soft drinks and baking of cakes and pies to share with neighbours. She helps out at the church, watches her sixteen-year-old sister play baseball, and embroiders. And then she realizes she can combine several of those activities and, with a little help from her friends who return early from holidays, do more good for her community.

From One Summer in Whitney Pier by Mayann Francis, illus. by Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo

The Honourable Mayann Francis takes us to a different time and place in One Summer in Whitney Pier. It's a time when summers were not filled with camps, scheduled activities, and tech, and days stretched with opportunities. It's a place where people shared food, and cooking and baking were full-day endeavours. 1950s Whitney Pier was everything to a young Mayann Francis to discover what she could and would enjoy doing and to become a part of something more significant.

That feel to the book also comes from Tamara Thiébaux-Heïkalo's artwork, a blend of pencil and watercolours, giving it a softness appropriate for a nostalgic look at Whitney Pier. The girls wear skirts and white socks, the kids ride their bikes down streets waving to others, and sewing was a skill encouraged in girls. Whitney Pier may not be like that anymore but it gave Mayann Francis a foundation for a life as a public servant and human rights authority and will now give young readers a historical perspective–as well as a couple of recipes–on summers once lived and well spent.

Our Little Kitchen

Written and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-262-4

40 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2020

 

The community kitchen in Our Little Kitchen may be small in size but it's big in heart and because of a mixture of compassion, courage and perseverance, it feeds the world with goodness.

From Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

 In Our Little Kitchen, author-illustrator Jillian Tamaki takes us into a community kitchen like the one at which she regularly volunteered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Through rhyming verse, we are invited into the kitchen as a mother and her child arrive to lend their hands.

Tie on your apron!

Roll up your sleeves!

 

Pans are out, oven is hot.

The kitchen's all ready,

 

where do we start?

A wonderful assortment of individuals begin the process of deciding on the day's meal, looking at what they've grown in their garden and preserved, as well as what has been donated to or purchased for their pantry. Though rotting food is discarded, almost everything can be used. Day-old bread is refreshed in the oven, bruised apples cleaned up for apple crumble (recipe provided in the end papers) and a plethora of canned beans offer an opportunity to brainstorm meal choices.

From Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

Beyond the kitchen, a community starts coming together to catch up on life. So as the hall fills with chatting neighbours, the kitchen staff is frantically bringing food stuffs together into a meal. There's humour ("Those who don't cook don't get to complain!") and panicking ("Just one more sec, please?") but soon a multi-coursed meal with protein-rich chilli, veggies and salad is delivered to an appreciative crowd.

From Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

There's so much life in Our Little Kitchen, in the kitchen, in the eating hall and in Jillian Tamaki's telling of the story. Though community kitchens vary in their scope, whether helping to alleviate hunger or supporting marginalized groups, there is a boisterous togetherness that comes from working collectively for a common goal. In the dialogue of her characters, the liveliness of her rhyming text, or the bold colours and dynamism of her scenes, Jillian Tamaki lets young readers participate in the worthwhile endeavour of these food gatherings.

From Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

Start your own discussion about community kitchens with little ones–why they are important and how to get involved– and join Jillian Tamaki's neighbours as they work together to cook and confer, share and nourish. Use their recipes for vegetable soup and apple crumble or use your own to cultivate and nurture a sense of fellowship.

Niam! Cooking with Kids

Inspired by the Mamaqtuq Nanook Cooking Club

Written by Kerry McCluskey

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-255-0

72 pp.

Ages 5-12

December 2019

Any time there is an opportunity to encourage children to learn basic recipes and acquire cooking skills is a chance to help youth become independent, feed themselves and others, and gain confidence in trying new things. For many, the holidays is a great time for cooking with children, whether it is baking cookies as gifts or to have at home for visitors or learning how to work in a kitchen and prepare meals for the family.  The Mamaqtuq Nanook Cooking Club, a weekly after-school program at Nanook School in Apex, Nunavut, kid-tested all these recipes to ensure hearty concoctions that were both tasty and fun to make.

From Niam! Cooking with Kids by Kerry McCluskey

The cookbook provides background on starting a children's cooking club, as well as a glossary of basic terms and measurements. The recipes cover seventeen dishes from smoothies and snacks like sandwiches, mini quiches, and palaugos, to main courses such as chili, bird fingers, jerk chicken, pizza and meatlove. Several sweet treats such as love muffins, and sugar and gingerbread cookies are also included.

From Niam! Cooking with Kids by Kerry McCluskey

Because the Mamaqtuq Nanook Cooking Club is located in Nunavut, there are some ingredients like the recommended seal or muskox meat for the ground meat in meatlove that may be perplexing to readers from away. But that just means that these recipes can be used as opportunities to teach young readers about cultural differences, bringing communities together. Community involvement is a big thing for Kerry McCluskey who finds ways to involve her own community in the club's activities. For example, an Iqaluit resident Joanna Awa talked to the kids about the importance of seals to the Inuit and a portion of this discussion is included with the meatlove recipe. Moreover, no worries if you don't have seal meat or ptarmigan in your freezer–Kerry McCluskey always uses generic ingredients like ground meat or poultry so that anyone can try out these recipes.

From Niam! Cooking with Kids by Kerry McCluskey

When people come together to cook, good things happen. Good food, teamwork, skills development, and confidence are all positive outcomes of cooking with kids. With Niam! Cooking with Kids reinforcing that premise while highlighting the specific efforts of the Mamaqtuq Nanook Cooking Club, children everywhere are encouraged to join these young Nunavut chefs in the kitchen and make a difference in all their lives, one dish at a time.

The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids: Essential Skills and Recipes Every Young Chef Should Know

Written by Pierre A. Lamielle

Familius

978-1-64170-156-3

170 pp.

Ages 8-13

September 2019

As a teacher-librarian, I loved purchasing cookbooks for the school library. Kids love looking at photos of great food, dreaming about sweet desserts and baked goods, and emboldening them to try their hand at some kitchen magic. With Chef Pierre A. Lamielle's newest cookbook, this one for children specifically, they'll get a good start on developing their culinary skills and creating some tasty treats.

More than a recipe book, The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids covers important lessons, all told via quirky illustrations and a group of distinct characters called the Munchy Munchy Bunch which includes Sal, Pepper, Ragu, Ziti, Sage, Rose, and Bean. The first lessons focus on avoiding dangers that involve sharp objects, fire and hot items or sources of germs. From learning how to slice, hinge and saw with a knife, to dealing with burns and fires and avoiding Salmonella, Cyclospora and E. coli, Pierre A. Lamielle's "Safety Pages" are an excellent beginning to this cookbook.

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

While introducing the Munchy Munchy Bunch, Pierre A. Lamielle also presents the basic tastes of salty, bitter, sour, sweet and umami, and makes a case for ketchup–with recipe included–being a balance of all five tastes. (Who knew?)

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

The remaining sections–Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Sweets–focus on basic recipes but always offer up more. From cooking eggs six ways to making jam for breakfast, or preparing soup, salad, or sandwiches for lunch, and serving up schnitzel, butter chicken or pizza with homemade dough, each meal becomes an exploration of ingredients, techniques, history, and culture. The photographs, most of which are double-spreads that extend across the hardy hidden wire o binding (making scanning of the images near impossible for me), are appealing and never unsophisticated. The recipes are for restaurant quality food from the pumpkin pie soup to the soy delicious lettuce wraps, veggie chili with mini cornbread muffins and browneapolitan dessert. For vegetarian to meat-eaters, and those who prefer savoury to sweet or vice versa, everyone's tastes are covered within the recipes of The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids,

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

Calgary's Chef Pierre A. Lamielle, who has appeared on Top Chef Canada and Chopped Canada, has his spoon in a lot of creative bowls from cooking and writing, to illustrating and teaching, all related to art and food. By mixing both here in The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids, Pierre A. Lamielle has found a way to teach and entertain young readers with the promise of developing their culinary skills, of feeding themselves and others, and of making tasty food a source of sustenance and joy.

Baby Cakes

Written by Theo Heras

Illustrated by Renné Benoit

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-030-7

24 pp.

Ages 1-4

October 2017

If Baby Cakes don't sound yummy enough, wait until you see Renné Benoit's illustrations of the children and kitten at play baking.  They are sweet and delightful and wholly scrummy.

From Baby Cakes 

by Theo Heras

 illus. by Renné Benoit

An older sister and little brother, with tuxedo kitten in tow, don their aprons, gather their ingredients and baking utensils and set to work.  Of course there are a few mishaps–there always are in the kitchen–of spilled ingredients but the two little ones seem to know what they are doing.  Measure, sprinkle, cream, wash, wash again, pour, blend, mix, fill and wait.  Except for brief appearances of a parent's hands to help out with a spill and to put the cupcakes in the oven, this story is that of the labours of the children and the kitten.  As should be, there is a tasty treat to imbibe in at tea time.

From Baby Cakes 

by Theo Heras 

illus. by Renné Benoit

Theo Heras, whose first book with Pajama Press Hat On, Hat Off (2016) was also illustrated by the wonderful Renné Benoit, reintroduces the sister and brother, slightly older now and able to take on a baking project with a little help from a parent. But Baby Cakes is still written for the very young, with Pajama Press' trademark padded cover and sturdy pages, and large bold font and simple sentences of only a few words.  I suspect that Baby Cakes could be the first book young children will be able to read themselves as the repeated readings by an older child or adult will enable them to remember the words and learn to match the visual with the sounds.  Learning to bake and read in one charming book.

But like so many picture books, it is the artwork that will captivate children and adults.  Renné Benoit's illustrations capture the innocence and earnestness of the very young and their efforts to undertake what must seem a monumental task.  The seriousness of their efforts does not take away from their delight in the work and the surprises that happen.  With a much-loved kitten, the children are bonded to their task and to each other, cooperating in their efforts and sharing in the fruits of their labours.  It's a warm scene of family that I wish could be experienced in every household.  Hopefully, Baby Cakes will compel that to happen in more.  With the recipes for chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, as well as vanilla frosting, on the endpapers, everyone and anyone can assist young children in baking some yummy delights, with or without a kitten to help.

From Baby Cakes 

by Theo Heras

 illus. by Renné Benoit

Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament

Written by Anne Renaud

Illustrated by Felicita Sala

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-619-7

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2017

Those delicious potato chips we purchase for their crispiness and salty goodness?  Seems they originated when a picky, picky patron of Mr. Crum's restaurant in the mid 1860s just could not be appeased.  Fortunately, the chef, Mr. George Crum, found a clever and tasty way to resolve a potato predicament.

From Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament 

by Anne Renaud 

illus. by Felicita Sala

Author Anne Renaud weaves a fictionalized account of the very real Mr. Crum, a Native American and African American, who loved to cook and opened a restaurant to which people flocked.  When a oddly dressed man named Filbert Punctilious Horsefeathers orders a "heaping helping of potatoes", Mr. Crum delivers up his traditional wedged potatoes that had been boiled, fried in lard and sprinkled with salt.  But Mr. Horsefeathers sends the food back, declaring the potatoes too thick.  A second helping is also deemed too thick and "bland as burlap."  This continues with Mr. Crum cutting his wedges thinner and thinner, and salting them more and more, until playfully exasperated he cuts the "thinnest, slimmest and trimmest of slices" and fries them so crispy that they crackle and drenches them in salt.  The picky Mr. Horsefeathers finally declares them to be perfection.

From Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament 

by Anne Renaud 

illus. by Felicita Sala

Quebecker Anne Renaud has written both children's non-fiction (e.g., Pier 21: Stories from Near and Far, Lobster Press, 2008 and The Extraordinary Life of Anna Swan, Cape Breton University Press, 2013) and picture books (e.g., Missuk's Snow Geese, Simply Read, 2008).  By blending the informational aspects of the story with a fictionalized context, Anne Renaud has created a revealing text that both entertains and informs.  Similarly, Australian illustrator Felicita Sala, who also illustrated Monica Kulling's On Our Way to Oyster Bay (Kids Can Press, 2016), capably imagines the people and places of the time with the details to entrance rather than just accurately depict.

Enriched with an author's note, photographs, and references, including newspaper articles, Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament pays tribute to the history of chef Mr. George Crum as developer of the potato chip, though the author acknowledges that others have laid claim to this invention.  Still, at a time when communications across a country were not instantaneous and communities were essentially isolated from hearing of new inventions, it's not surprising that the potato chip may have been developed at several locales at the same time.  As we know, potatoes are a staple in most households and trying to do something different with a common ingredient is not unusual.  What is unusual is that, in Anne Renaud's story, that need for innovation was at the behest of an unhappy customer who just thought potatoes should not be so thick or so bland.  The brilliant Mr. Crum found a way to appease that problematic customer and to retaliate for his seemingly ridiculous requests by inventing a food that has flourished for over 160 years.  That's a tasty example of serendipity.

From Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament 

by Anne Renaud

 illus. by Felicita Sala

The Griffin of Darkwood

by Becky Citra

Coteau Books

9781550506914

173 pp.

Ages 8-13

July 2016

It’s not unusual for there to be hints of secrets untold in Becky Citra’s novels for young people.  Two past Forest of Reading nominated books, Never To Be Told (Orca, 2006) and Missing (Orca, 2011) are two perfect examples in which there are personal mysteries that need to be solved.  While The Griffin of Darkwood splendidly plays on this same theme, as well as that of loss, Becky Citra takes on a whole new dimension in her writing: fantasy.  And she draws you in that story effortlessly with the expertise of a seasoned writer.

Twelve-year-old Will Poppy and his mother Adrienna are writers.  They even have their own Muses: a knight and a woman from Ancient Greece respectively.  But just after Adrienna finishes her book, The Magical Night, and Will deposits it with her publisher, Mr. Barnaby, Adrienna dies and Will is spirited away unceremoniously by nasty Aunt Mauve to a castle called Sparrowhawk Hall with its two equally-scary servants, Mr. and Mrs. Cherry.  Except for his mother’s pencil box, which always seemed magical to him, and a package containing a photo of his mother’s parents and a piece of  cloth with the words "The Griffin of Darkwood" woven into it, Will brings little with him to Sparrowhawk, though, with his desire to write having disappeared, he needs little.

Sparrowhawk is a quaint, old-fashioned English village of cobbled streets and alleys, and Will soon discovers the bookstore of Favian Longstaff, Ex Libris, and meets the energetic Emma Storm and her dog Peaches and Emma’s friend, chef-in-training Thom Fairweather.  Through his new friends, Will learns of the centuries-old griffin’s curse–there are stories of a young girl dying and a murder–which explains the rather unwelcoming welcome Will and his aunt get from many of Sparrowhawk’s villagers.

But, the mystery only begins there.  Even though Will refuses to write, he is still a writer and he keeps his eyes open and has a lot of questions. Why does his aunt seem to be keeping important mail from Will?  How could she afford the castle when they were all as poor as church mice?  Why is Mr. Cherry sneaking around looking for a secret passageway? Should Will heed the predictions of poet Vespera Moonstone and Granny Storm?  And what of the magic he seems to witness: book characters come to life at the bookstore, the eye colour-changing Macavity the cat, falling into a crystal ball, and the light emanating from his mother’s pencil box?  With a host of new friends and a lot of magic, with a little writing mixed in, Will finds that he is the solution to this mystery in ways he could never have imagined.

Though a contemporary story, there’s an Old English feel to The Griffin of Darkwood that readers and lovers of medieval history will appreciate. From the castle with its tower, great hall and keep, as well as the story-telling tapestries and the village of Sparrowhawk, Becky Citra sets an atmospheric tale of mystery, deceit and redemption.  From a poor orphan who has lost his will to write and under the “protection” of a selfish aunt, to evil servants with malevolent intentions, and a mysterious creature, sight unseen,  that dominates the landscape, The Griffin of Darkwood is itself a tapestry.  The tale is rich in characters and setting and plot, all the essential components of a great story.  The Griffin of Darkwood will fill a reading void for early and middle-grade readers who are in want of a Harry Potteresque fantasy without the truly scary bits and a huge page count, and who appreciate the far-too-rare triumph over evil in our own world.  

Timo's Party

by Victoria Allenby

Illustrated by Dean Griffiths

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-008-6

48 pp.

Ages 5-8

October, 2016

Bunny rabbit Timo Vega learned in last year’s Timo’s Garden (Pajama Press, 2015) that he needed to spend a little bit more time tending to his friendships rather than obsessing about his garden and he’s learned that lesson well.  With food critic Madame LaPointe coming to Toadstool Corners as part of her search for the best small towns to visit, Timo agrees to host an apple festival in his orchard so that his friend Hedgewick Stump, the hedgehog, can show off his culinary skills.  But as soon as he’s made the offer, the crowd-averse rabbit is regretting his decision.

From Timo's Party 

by Victoria Allenby

illus. by Dean Griffiths

Organizing his tasks into a list of three things–invitations, decorations and games–Timo begins to feel that the Toadstsool Corners Apple Festival might be manageable after all. Though Hedgewick sees the attributes that will make Timo a great host–he is organized, generous and thoughtful–Timo’s other friends, knowing how much he hates big parties, advise him how to be confident and comfortable around lots of people.

With the help of his many friends, Timo is able to pull off a great party, and Hedgewick, with only a small cooking mishap, caters an impressive apple festival.  Like the very different apples and bananas in the recipe at the conclusion of Timo’s Party, Timo and Hedgewick come together spectacularly. Each brings their own strengths to their endeavour and are successful in supporting the other when needed.

From Timo's Party

by Victoria Allenby

illus. by Dean Griffiths

Timo’s Party is an exceptional early reader for imparting an engaging life lesson. But author Victoria Allenby never preaches or instructs the reader how to live life well, or be a good friend or be brave.  Instead, she swathes that message in Timo’s daily experiences, taking advantage of a true story-telling opportunity.  It’s easy to see beyond the anthropomorphized animals–with their clothes, speech, and human endeavours–as just a bunch of friends whose lives the reader is pleased to share.  Though not a fully-illustrated book, Dean Griffiths's artwork helps take the reader into the friendly world of Toadstool Corners.  From the plaid jacketed Timo with his subtle smile and relaxed ears, to the rose-toqued badger Rae and the bustling Hedgewick, Dean Griffiths gives life to the animals in Timo’s Party, taking them from characters to neighbours.  And, let me say, we are all pleased to have been invited to this party, and look forward to more good times in Timo’s neighbourhood.

From Timo's Party 

by Victoria Allenby

illus. by Dean Griffiths

Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet

Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-48141-0-380

320 pp.

Ages 8-12

January, 2015

Boy chef Neil Flambé, now 15, can't seem to keep himself out of trouble, not even when he tries.   He tries to ignore a jar of old honey with its mysterious note in it that was part of a case excavated at a demolition in London and now the basis for a meal extraordinaire he is preparing for Lord Lane of Liverpool.  But an unexpected shortage requires the ostracized jar to be opened, and the note– with a poem, some numbers and a drawing of a key–is taken by Lane, a Shakespearean aficionado and thespian supporter, but not before Neil's cousin and partner, Larry,  snaps some photos of it.  

As luck (?) would have it, Lord Lane disappears and Her Majesty "requires" that Neil and his Nose–he can sniff out anything–promptly travel to London to smell out the mystery and, of course, find Lane and the "jewel" alluded to in the note.  Neil may have the Nose but it's Larry with his limitless knowledge of Shakespeare's work–I know, go figure–and his sweet affection for the ladies who enables Neil to search out the right sources and decipher the multi-layered clues.

The two are soon partnered with Rose Patil, the uber-brilliant chemist and acquaintance of Neil's sweetie, perfumier Isabella Tortellini. The thorny Rose, who is working at recreating the actual scents that Shakespeare's wife may have worn, agrees to help them decipher the note, suggesting their investigation begin with Will Kemp, a comedic actor whose friendship with Shakespeare had mysteriously sour.  Following clues about Drake's voyage, the Globe Theater, a clock and more, Neil, Larry and Rose, and eventually Isabella and her bodyguard Jones, begin an action-packed foray into history, Shakespeare's work and Elizabethan cooking, while being pursued by the unsavoury Crayfish brothers, all in the hopes of discovering the "jewel" and finding Lord Lane, hopefully alive.

Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet is a full serving of epicurean delights, that infuses a mystery with history, action with education–do your homework, Neil!–and fromage with farce.  And the punning and word play is wonderfully inventive and flavourful! 

"So since food and Shakespeare are the themes of the day right now, I wondered what Shakespeare would call his plays if he were also a chef!" (pg. 212)

...

"Measuring Spoon for Measuring Spoon!"

"The Taming of the Stew!"

"Romeo and Omelet!"

"Twelfth Bite!"

"A Midsummer's Light Cream!"

"The Merchant of Venison!" (pg. 213)

The solution to the mystery is never, never evident, unless you are a scholar of food, Shakespeare and word play, and perhaps not even then.  It takes an assortment of characters, some sweeter than others, to separate the clues, then blend them together into something that is both recognizable, palatable and delicious. Kevin Sylvester does this easily in Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet, perhaps his most bountiful Neil Flambé Caper to date.  

  *  *  *  *  *  

Yes, I loved Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet but I must share with you a brief Twitter conversation I had with author Kevin Sylvester about the end of the book.  I hope that, if my review doesn't get this book into your hands or into your school, this might.

You'll need to read this book to see what I mean, and then we'll all have to wait for Book 6 for a more revealing answer.

Julia, Child

by Kyo Maclear

Illustrated by Julie Morstad

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-449-7

32 pp.

Ages 4+

July 2014

The real Julia Child, chef extraordinaire and one of the authors of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Knopf, 1961), would be delighted by Kyo Maclear's latest picture book, though there is a cheery disclaimer that states that "the story contains no true knowledge of (the real) Julia Child" (pg. 1).  Julia, Child may not be the real Julia Child's story but the little girl who looks to sweeten the lives of others with culinary treats provides a savoury tale.

From the taste of an extraordinary sole meunière at a young age, Julia's love of French food was whipped up, and her friendship with another young gourmet, Simca, feeds that passion. The two girls enjoy shopping for food and ideas at the market and experimenting in the kitchen, learning cooking and baking from the experts.  The girls'  goal is to continue cooking happily together even as adults.

But the adults they see around them look harried and starved for the joy of childhood.  And so Julia and Simca attempt to sauté, sizzle, simmer, and fricassee that joie de vivre back into the lives of the grown-ups they know.

The subtle message and word play of Julia, Child is what made me such a fan of Kyo Maclear's first pseudo-bio picture book, Virginia Wolf  (Tundra, 2012).  Within Julia, Child, we are slathered with rich essences of joyous play in the kitchen and life.

"They cooked extra slowly to bring out the flavor of not hurrying.  They used delicate spices so the worries would disappear and wonders would rise to the surface." (pg. 16)

Julie Morstad, award-winning illustrator of How To (Simply Read, 2013) and Singing Away the Dark (Simply Read, 2011), adds her own whimsy to Julia, Child, emphasizing the methodical nature of cooking with her delineating ink lines and the wonder of childhood in her warm, bright gouache.  While Julie Morstad's lines provide that definition and structure, her choices and frugal use of colour play up the extraordinary nature of the true joy of childhood.  The collaboration of Kyo Maclear with Julie Morstad to create Julia, Child is as inspired and scrumptious as Julia and Simca's recipe for reviving youth. Bon appétit!

The Opposite of Geek

by Ria Voros

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-0484-5

224 pp.

Ages 11+

September, 2013

Don't let the pink on the book cover fool you: The Opposite of Geek is not chick lit. It's not light and comedic and romantic.  Yes, there are some light moments and some humourous t-shirts and a first love for our protagonist, sixteen-year-old Gretchen, but The Opposite of Geek is more about cliques and friendship and grief and poetry and the toils of being human and being a teen.

Three things you'll learn very quickly about Gretchen Meyers are: 1) her best friend is the brilliant Nemiah Hershey; 2) she's failing chemistry (which is disastrous considering her parents expect her to go into medicine); and 3) she loves reading and writing haiku and poetry (a passion she shares with Ms Long, a guidance counsellor at school).  When Nemiah joins the swim team and its clique, and Gretchen gets seventeen-year-old James Tarden to tutor her in chemistry, her world begins to fracture and reconfigure itself.  

James, who suffers from an embarrassing skin condition and is regularly victimized by a couple of jocks, wears his heart on his t-shirts (e.g., Geeks Rule the World) and has deep philosophical discussions with Gretchen about being a geek.

This is the problem with the social community of high school.  No one understands the value of geekdom.  How come what I love makes me a geek, but what Henry Gladstone (basketball star) loves makes him a stud? (pg. 42)

He takes her to his uncle's deli where she meets James' cousin Dean (18), and the three start hanging out together, giving Gretchen the sense of togetherness she's lost with Nemiah. Unbeknownst to James, Gretchen and Dean start dating.  But after a night of bowling and brawling, Gretchen and Dean go off to be alone and James is in a car accident, and everything becomes broken again, reconfiguring itself into a new social structure.

Gretchen's coming-of-age story is very much linked to her friendships and her ability to recognize what she really wants, and Ria Voros reflects this in the form of The Opposite of Geek's text. Initially, in prose with the occasional haiku by Gretchen or her favourite poets Bashō, Issa and Buson, Gretchen's life seems dense and stilted with infrequent breaths of lightness.  But as James and Dean become part of her life and she joins The Foodies group (cooking club) at school, Gretchen's voice is more expressive and thoughtful, emulated by the richness of the free verse text and poetry she shares with others.  

While the ending of The Opposite of Geek is not a happily-ever-after, it is fulfilling.  Gretchen begins to accept and advocate for herself, and find the courage to see the superficiality of others and reject their attitudes as anything other than meaningless. 

I'll have to break it to them that I am not,
maybe never was, whatever normal means–
there was a geek inside me all the time. (pg. 169)

As she did in Nobody's Dog (Scholastic, 2012), which is a 2014 nominee for the Silver Birch Fiction award, Ria Voros has presented a survivor's story without the heroics or refined sugar of happy endings.  In The Opposite of Geek, the heroes are the geeks, like it or not.

youngCanLit for Foodies: Book List

I know that kids love cookbooks and recipe books.  As soon as one cookbook is returned to the school library, perhaps with a chocolate or butter stain, there's a student waiting to take it out. Let's face it: most of us enjoy food.  So, add the pleasure of consumption with experimentation (cooking is a lot like mixing and measuring in a science lab), bonding with your cooking mentor, and reading a book, and you have a terrific sensory experience.

The following books have food or cooking and baking as a integral part of their stories, often providing recipes for readers to try, and teaching about the chemistry and mechanics of growing, preparing and consuming food.  Enjoy this list of youngCanLit for Foodies! 

PICTURE BOOKS

Boy Soup
by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2008

Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog
by Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Rachel Berman
Tundra
24 pp.
Ages 2-6
2009

Community Soup
by Alma Fullerton
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2013
Recipe included

The Fragrant Garden
by Day's Lee
Illustrated by Josée Bellemare
Napoleon Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 5-9
2005

The French Fry King
by Rogé
Tundra
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2012
Recipes included

The King's Taster
by Kenneth Oppel
Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
HarperCollins
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2009

Mile High Apple Pie
by Laura Langston
Illustrated by Lindsey Gardiner
The Bodley Head/Random House Canada
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2004
Recipe included

Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie
by Valerie Sherrard
Illustrated by Wendy J. Whittingham
Tuckamore Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2011

Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity
by Monica Kulling

Illustrated by Esperança Melo

Tundra Books

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

2013

Mr. Emerson's Cook
by Judith Byron Schachner
Penguin
32 pp.
Ages 7-9
2001

My Mom Loves Me More Than Sushi
by Filomena Gomes
Illustrated by Ashley Spires
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-7
2006

Poetry and Potatoes: A Tale of Friendship, Travels and Recipes
by Troon Harrison
Illustrated by Sue Hellard
Chrysalis Children's Books
32 pp.
2003

Roses Sing on New Snow: A Delicious Tale
by Paul Yee
Illustrated by Harvey Chan
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-9
1991

Toads on Toast
by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2012

Treasure for Lunch
by Shenaaz Nanji
Illustrated by Yvonne Cathcart
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 4 - 8
2000

Wild Berries
by Julie Flett
Translated by Earl N. Cook
(English and Cree)
Simply Read Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2013

Winterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year
by Nan Forler
Art by Peter Etril Snyder
Tundra
40 pp.
Ages 8-11
2011
Recipes included





FICTION

The Case of the Missing Deed
by Ellen Schwartz
Tundra Books
189 pp.
Ages 8-12
2011

Everything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath
Groundwood Books
179 pp.
Ages 8-13
2001
Recipes included

Jolted: Newton Starker's Rules for Survival
by Arthur Slade
HarperCollins
224 pp.
Ages 11-14
2008

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders
by Kevin Sylvester
Key Porter
300 pp.
Ages 10-14
2010

Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction
by Kevin Sylvester
Simon & Schuster Canada/Harper Collins Canada
317 pp.
Ages 11-14
2010

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster Books for Young People

291 pp.

Ages 8-14

2012

Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure

by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster

352 pp.

Ages 8-12

2012

One Year in Coal Harbour
by Polly Horvath
Groundwood
216 pp.
Ages 10-14
2012

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings
by Hélène Boudreau
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
208 pp.
Ages 9+
2010 
Recipe included

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath
by Hélène Boudreau
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
234 pp.
Ages 9+
2012
Recipe included

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels
by Hélène Boudreau
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
240 pp.
Ages 9+
2013
Recipe included

YOUNG ADULT

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery
by Susan Juby
HarperCollins
339 pp.
Ages 13-15
2008

More Than Bread
by Nora Rock
Smith, Bonappétit & Son
205 pp.
Ages 12+
2008

The Opposite of Geek
by Ria Voros
Scholastic Canada
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Recipe included

Recipe for Disaster
by Maureen Fergus
Kids Can Press
256 pp.
Ages 11-14
2009

Way to Go
by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2012

Whatever
by Ann Walsh
Ronsdale Press
200 pp.
Ages 12+
September 2013
Recipes included

Wicked Sweet

by Mar'ce Merrell

Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan imprint)

330 pp.

Ages 14-18

2012

Windfall
by Sara Cassidy
Orca Book Publishers
117 pp.
Ages 10-13
2011










NON-FICTION

The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook
by Kate Macdonald
Illustrated by Barbara Di Lella
Oxford
48 pp.
Ages 8-14
1985, 2003
Recipes included

Burp!: The Most Interesting Book You'll Ever Read About Eating
by Diane Swanson
Illustrated by Rose Cowles
Kids Can Press
40 pp.
Ages 10-14
2001

Everything But the Kitchen Sink: Weird Stuff You Didn’t Know About Food
by Frieda Wishinsky and Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrated by Travis King
Scholastic Canada
112 pp.
Ages 9-12
2008

Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook
Retold by Jane Yolen
Recipes by Heidi E.Y. Stemple
Illustrated by Philippe Béha
Tradewind Books
197 pp.
Ages 5-10
2006
Recipes included

Food Fight: A Graphic Guide Adventure
by Liam O’Donnell
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Orca Book Publishers
64 pp.
Ages 11-15
2010

The Good Garden: How One Family Went From Hunger to Having Enough
by Katie Smith Milway
Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-10
2010

How Monkeys Make Chocolate: Foods and Medicines from the Rainforests
by Adrian Forsyth
Owlkids Books
48 pp.
Ages 9-13
1995

Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook
Retold by Jane Yolen
Recipes by Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Illustrated by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin
Tradewind Books
199 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013
Recipes included

The Kids Can Press Jumbo Cookbook
by Judi Gillies and Jennifer Glossop
Illustrated by Louise Phillips
Kids Can Press
256 pp.
Ages 9-13
2000
Recipes included

Native North American Food and Recipes
by Kathryn Smithyman and Bobbie Kalman
Crabtree
32 pp.
Ages 9-11
2006
Recipes included

Pioneer Recipes
by Bobbie Kalman and Lynda Hale
Illustrated by Barbara Bedell
Crabtree
32 pp.
Ages 8-11
2000
Recipes included

Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City
by Hadley Dyer
Annick Press
83 pp.
Ages 9-12
2012

Up We Grow! A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm
by Deborah Hodge
Photographs by Brian Harris
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-8
2010

Watch Me Grow! A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City
by Deborah Hodge
Photographed by Brian Harris
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-8
2011

Who Wants Pizza? The Kids’ Guide to the History, Science & Culture of Food
by Jan Thornhill
Maple Tree Press
64 pp.
Ages 9-13
2010

The Wilderness Cookbook: A Guide to Good Food on the Trail
by Bonnie McTaggart and Jill Bryant
Illustrated by Chum McLeod
Second Story Press
168 pp.
Ages 8+
1999
Recipes included

The World in Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods
by Claire Eamer
Illustrated by Sa Boothroyd
Annick Press
121 pp.
Ages 9-12
2012

Bon appétit!