I’ll be celebrating Easter today but absent of physically attending mass and not driving to get together with my extended family, I will be feasting on an Easter meal. This is in addition to preparing pierogies, babka, and hardcakes in the tradition of my Polish heritage this past weekend. Food is also one of my favorite topics to read about too. Here are several books I’ve read in the past few weeks that would be worth taking a look at if you’re one of my tribe of food-loving readers.
This fun “little book about little cakes” is exactly the cool interactive story to introduce future chefs to the kitchen with our favorite sweet treats: cupcakes. It asks the readers to shake things up and move things on the counter while reading then enjoy the feast visually with the bright colors and delicious-looking sprinkles by the end.
Moving on to an informative picture book, this one details the life of Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the chocolate chip cookie. Ford provides the three versions of how people think the cookie was created and has fun providing you with a well-rounded tale of her passion for food and how her toll house became part of the “Nestle’s Toll House Cookie” recipe stamped on each chocolate chip bag you buy.
Faruqi and Shovan are publishing A Place At the Table next month and I couldn’t be happier that this book exists. When I read it, I felt a warmth for the characters and the food that filled me up with love. Sara is Pakistani American and Elizabeth is Jewish and they both end up in the Southeast Asian cooking class run by Sara’s mother after Sara moves to the school. They befriend one another and find that their connections run a bit deeper as both of their mothers are not naturalized American citizens. But as the title implies, the girls work through typical middle grade angst by finding a place for each other at the table.
And last is an adult title that was recommended to me by a friend. While the book is over ten years old, it will resonate with those who can appreciate all the ways that food affects our lives be it romance or in mourning, friendship or solitude. It’s a series of vignettes that are all centered around Lillian’s cooking school “The School of Essential Ingredients” that she runs on Monday nights. It follows the attendees in various parts of their lives and how they all came to be together in the class. The languid storytelling is part of the appeal, like savoring a meal, and enriches the understanding. I also found myself pausing and re-reading lines that hit me to my core as a cook, baker, lover of food. As said by two participants in the class: “Here’s to kitchens. And here’s to what comes out of them.”
There you have it, four mouthwatering titles from pre-K to adult that you can enjoy when your pining for a book to capture the magic of food.
And last, another powerhouse name (in this case two!) attached to a powerhouse book. This one is Sulwe written and inspired by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. If I could live inside the illustrations and surround myself with the colors of this book, I would which is ultimately what the story discusses: color. Sulwe feels estranged from others because of the darkness of her skin which is the darkest of her entire family and while she hears that her skin is beautiful, she doesn’t feel like it. She hears taunts and connects words with their connotations that are all too often negative. It isn’t until a magical evening that she’s told the story of the day and the night where she sees the importance of everyone’s differences and how they’re dependent on one another like the sisters of daytime and nighttime.
I began on July 20th not for any reason other than I was ready. I finished on August 7th. With some dedicated reading time, a few late nights, and encouragement from my elementary-aged kids (one who has finished the series and one who is on book five), I met that goal. What did I do on August 8th? I borrowed my kids’ Gryffindor robe, Potter glasses and tie, used eyeliner to make my scar, and took a picture to commemorate this feat. As was done when said child finished the series back in March and I will do when other said child finishes. 
It was an inspiring event with all levels of amazing authors. The vibe is absolutely incredible and filled with book love. But I wasn’t done yet. I have never spent time in Hudson so I couldn’t not stop at 
Readers Be Advised 