This book uses inventive story weaving in classic fairy tales (and an unexpected character, Judy, who resembles Edna from The Incredibles by the way) into a new tale of a boy who loves to cook. In reading this book with my toddler, I realized that he did not get most of the story references (e.g. big bad wolf stew, which makes me think of a Seattle restaurant we enjoy – How to Cook a Wolf, but I digress) and that we also need to be reading more of these classic fables.
[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Kindle
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | iBooks[/alert]
Nonetheless, he enjoyed the colorful, friendly, light illustrations (plenty of detail and ‘I spy’ opportunity, which adds to the reading experience) and idea of cooking up fun food to serve for others. As the narrator, I caught myself chuckling both at the play on words/story themes and the illustrations interpretations: a pig serving food at the Brick House cafe and presumably a meal delivery service called ‘Gingerbread-on-the-Go.’ I think Klostermann and Mantle have put together a great story, complete with a happily ever after to inspire many little imaginative chefs.
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