Julia Child
was an inspirational television personality and cookbook author that is admired
by many for her lively spirit and ever present class. She has inspired books, movies, and blogs and
now has inspired this children’s picture book, Minette’s Feast. Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia
Child and Her Cat was
written by author Susanna Reich and illustrated by Amy Bates. The author and illustrator collaborated to
bring together a beautiful and sweet introduction to the life of Julia Child
for children.
The book
begins with the love story of Julia and her husband Paul in Paris, where they
had a small but happy home. But as Julia
declares, “Une maison sans chat c'est la vie sans soleil.” (A house without a
cat, is like life without sunshine.) When a cat finds a home with the couple,
Julia treats the cat to special dinners, but the cat seems unimpressed. In fact the cat would prefer a tasty mouse or
bird instead of gourmet entrees.
It’s not until the cat feasts upon a 3 day marinated roast that, Oh la la, Magnifique! The cat is won over by Julia’s delicious
cooking.
The story brings to life Julia’s spirit and
love for cooking. Following the story is
an afterword including a biography of Julia Child and a note from the
author. Author Reich explains that the
dialogue in the book was not invented but taken directly from Julia’s own
writings giving this book a unique authenticity. Illustrations from Bates add
to the lovely story with simple pencil drawings of the Paris that Julia loved
and the Julia that we all loved. Food
lovers, cat lovers, and those who love a good story all will take something
from this delicious book. Highly
recommended for ages 5 and up.
I think this is a great introduction to biographies. Not an overwhelming amount of information, and written like a narrative. Doesn't help to have a cat as one of the characters, either :)
ReplyDeleteBiographies can be a bit dry, but this one was very touching and sweet. I think this type of biography would work for many famous people, introducing the setting and life of a famous person while maintaining a light and sweet tone. : )
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