Kid Konnection: Bon Appetit!

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a wonderful picture book about the famous chef Julia Child.

Summary: In a starred review, Publishers Weekly raves, "Chef and TV personality Julia Child likely would have delighted in and hooted over this wide-ranging picture-book biography.... Readers young and old will devour this fete pour les yeux."

Follow Julia Child—chef, author, and television personality—from her childhood in Pasadena, California, to her life as a spy in WWII, to the cooking classes she took in Paris, to the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to the funny moments of being a chef on TV. This is a comprehensive and enchanting picture book biography, told in many panels and jam-packed with lively, humorous, and child-friendly details. Young chefs and Julia Child fans will exclaim, "ooooh la la," about this book, which is as energetic and eccentric as the chef herself. -- Schwartz & Wade

BON APPETIT!: THE DELICIOUS LIFE OF JULIA CHILD by Jessie Hartland just has to be one of my favorite picture books that I've read this year. It's positively delightful and has certainly gathered its fair share of praise. I was anxious to read this book after Kathy (aka Bermudaonion) reviewed it earlier this year, and I was so grateful when she sent it to me.

While I will most likely never cook any of the recipes from a Julia Child cookbook, I am very interested in her life. I read her memoir MY LIFE IN FRANCE and even saw Julie & Julia in the movie theater (which is extremely rare for me!) I have also visited her kitchen at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History a few times, and I'm planning on tackling the huge biography of her that came out earlier this year. But in the meantime, BON APPETIT was the perfect way for me to learn a little more about Ms. Child.

BON APPETIT is too darn cute! It's definitely a biography of Ms. Child's life, but it's presented in a very fun way that kids (and parents) will appreciate. Nothing about this story is dry! The book is technically a picture book, but it has panels and text that remind me of a graphic novel. And, the artwork by Jessie Hartland is to darn cute. It's very colorful and whimsical and the perfect complement to Ms. Hartland's entertaining biography of Ms. Child.

In addition to the artwork and story, I loved the messages in this book. They are perfect for young children. Ms. Child wasn't the greatest student or even the prettiest one, and she was a bit of a late bloomer; however, she was determined to succeed at what she loved and she never gave up. The ten years she spent working on MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING definitely proved that! The book also shows that it's possible to find your passion and make a difference.

Another neat thing about BON APPETIT is that it presented a lot of information about cooking and food to children. My kids probably wouldn't know half the ingredients or foods mentioned in this book, but the author did a great job of explaining them to young readers. I especially appreciated that she drew a small truffle and explained not only what a truffle was, but how much one that size would cost. At the end of the book, the author even included her recipe for crepes.

As you can see, I absolutely adored BON APPETIT -- everything about it. The artwork, the story, and even the message make this book extremely special! Highly recommended!

Thanks to the Kathy for giving us a copy of this book.

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. 

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!