Jovial Julia--A Jewel In The World of Cooking

There never has been and there never will be a personality as magnetic as that of Julia Child.  Greeting everything she did with gusto and gumption, she made impressions well-worth remembering.  Her impact on the world of cookery is the stuff of legend.

On August 15, 2012 she would have been 100 years old, having died in 2004 just two days before her 92nd birthday.  To commemorate her contributions and in celebration of her 100th birthday two picture books were released within weeks of one another in May.  The first, Minette's Feast:  The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich with illustrations by Amy Bates, a delightful blend of text, pencil and watercolor, is reviewed here.

Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child penned and pictured by Jessie Hartland was featured at Jama's Alphabet Soup with an interesting and informative interview and numerous pages posted from the book.  Five days ago it received a nomination in the picture book nonfiction category of the 2012 Nerdy Book Club Award.  Jessie Hartland has given readers a book that is the essence of Julia Child.


She bubbled over with effervescence, spoke as if she had marbles in her mouth, and gleefully hammed it up in front of the camera.

Yes, that is the Julia Child people around the world grew to love...and still do to this day.  But she did not begin knowing she would be part of a spy mission, move to Paris (among other cities outside of the United States), write a cookbook, or have her own television show.  We are told when she was born and where as well as the number of siblings she had (all tall).

What really endears readers to this child with a mind of her own are the facts of her prankster side; throwing mud pies at cars, playing "hooking" on roller skates and being a tomboy in every sense of the word.  At an early age Julie's love of eating just about anything was evident as was the largeness of her feet---12 shoe size!  Her family's wealth allowed her to attend  private schools and Smith College in Massachusetts where pranks such as painting a toilet seat red continued.

After graduation several writing jobs left her feeling unsettled moving from the east coast back to the west.  It's when World War II starts, a shift starts for Julia too.  The nature of her job with the Office of Strategic Services introduced her to the world of travel and to the love of her life, Paul Child.

The first of many moves associated with Paul's work brings them to France and the Cordon Bleu cooking school.  It is there the recipe for the rest of her life, ingredients added year by year, is first realized.  Connections are made, some continuing for a lifetime, through her zest for bringing the ups and downs of cooking to all people everywhere.


Even without the bibliography at the book's end the writing of Jessie Hartland is spiced like the most flavorful entree with delectable tidbits from Julia Child's life indicating her thorough and complete research and....love of her subject.  The excellence is evident in her details and the way she conveys her information.  She gives readers insight into the personality quirks of her character making her more fully human and alive for us once again.

Here is an example.

Julia's mom only makes dinner on cook's night off and can prepare exactly three dishes:
biscuits, codfish balls and Welsh rabbit.

What the heck is Welsh rabbit?  

It's a mix of beer cheese mustard that is cooked together and served over toast.

Nothing to do with bunnies.  whew.


All of the book's illustrations were rendered in gouache.  The bright turquoise cover with Julia front and center on a old style television screen is an open invitation.  Red and white striped endpapers covered with black-etched doodle-like drawings of ingredients, cooking utensils, and memorabilia of all things Julia are labeled in English in the front and in French in the back.  Every single page is filled with images and accompanying text carefully pieced together like the most loving of scrapbooks.

All of the text is hand lettered varying in size and placement; next to, over, under and around her pictures.  A combination of colors, shades of green, blue, red, brown and gold, are complimented with black and white.  No detail is overlooked.  Hartland even includes a two page spread complete with a 32 step recipe for  a galantine!  An added bonus is her own personal recipe for crepes at the end of the book.


Bon Appetit!  The Delicious Life of Julia Child is so rich in narrative and illustrations you can almost hear the faints sounds of Paris in the background, smell butter warming in a pan and yes...the voice of Julia Child bright, bold, funny and warm guiding and instructing you in yet another cooking endeavor.  Whether you grew up with Julia Child or are meeting her for the first time, there is something in this title for everyone, something about her with which most readers can identify.

I'm Julia Child.  Bon appetit!

Here is a link to the publisher's website with extra images from the title.

Cooking Up Dreams

On any given day children can be seen puttering in the sand and water along a beach; splashing, digging with shovels, hauling treasures in their pails and designing masterpieces in the sand.  They crave fashioning mud pies in neighborhoods after a rain and from the earliest ages have more fun than anyone I know, playing with their food. (except perhaps for the infamous food fights in college) Given these observations it takes no stretch of the imagination to see them eager to extend those skills into the kitchen arena.

Can a young boy's flavorful fancies become a delicious reality?  Renowned Chef Tyler Florence has authored, with illustrations by author/illustrator Craig Frazier, a book, Tyler Makes Pancakes! (HarperCollins Children's Books, April 2012) inviting a younger reading audience to discover the excitement of whipping up a breakfast favorite.  Open the covers of this book to see how an enterprising child spends his morning, with great joy, gathering ingredients, mixing them together and cooking a parent-pleasing meal.

Awakening Tyler looks at his dog, Tofu, telling him of a true gourmet's dream he's had, flying through a pancake-filled space in a pancake spaceship.  At this point the little guy has a definite craving for pancakes.  Shopping list in hand, he sets off for the local market on his bike with his constant canine companion.

Mr. Jones, the grocer is more than willing to lend a helping hand.  As each of the items are gathered, eggs, buttermilk, butter, flour, blueberries and maple syrup, Tyler and readers discover the origins of each.  Homeward bound, Mr. Jones adds cantaloupe and bacon to the basket of goodies.

In the kitchen trading his baseball cap for a tall chef's hat, Tyler gets down to business.  Step by careful step the batter is mixed and ready for the pan.  Dad pops in just in time to assist at the stove.  One satisfied cook admires his golden stacks and already has plans for his next food creation.

Tyler Florence's passion for the culinary arts and his desire to make it accessible to children are evident in his careful, clear and simple storyline.  The one-way conversations Tyler has with Tofu are delightful.  Tyler's questions about each of the ingredients and Mr. Jones's patient, informative replies are easy to understand.

"What's next?" asked Mr. Jones.
"Buttermilk--whatever that is.  Is it butter, or is it milk?  Does it come from a butter cow?" asked Tyler.
"Nope. Buttermilk come from regular cows," said Mr. Jones.  "And guess what?  There is no butter in buttermilk!..."

Illuminating this tale of gastronomic goodness are the pure, pleasurable illustrations of Craig Frazier.  There is such warmth in every scene you can almost smell the pancakes cooking.  The two-tone toasty brown front and hearty blue back endpapers are peppered with ingredients, kitchen utensils and the occasional dog bone.  Within the book stark white pages highlight his colorful palette of blues, golden yellows, browns, reds, greens and spot colors of orange.

Some of his visuals extend across two pages but most are single pages highlighting the events of Tyler and Tofu.  Humor is evident in every sequence through the antics of the slightly chubby pooch; Tofu's dream is of landing on a celestial surface planting a flag with a bone in its center, on the ride to the market he dreams of riding in the basket instead of running alongside, or in the fruit section all we see is the tip of his nose balancing a single blueberry.  Each time Mr. Jones explains, he asks Tyler to imagine the place from where the food item comes.  Pictures show all three characters gathering in the fresh products. My favorite without question is taping the sap for maple syrup in the snowy woods of Vermont.

I was overjoyed to discover that Tyler Makes Pancakes! is the first of three planned books by Tyler Florence with pictures by Craig Frazier.  The inclusion of the recipe, Tyler's Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, in the back along with some extra Did You Know? further facts is the perfect touch to an already delectable title.  This charming story invites investigations into other food item beginnings, states where products are grown, kitchen safety, or following a recipe.  I love this book more than pancakes; it's going in my cookbook collection.

To venture into the realm of Tyler Florence's culinary world follow the link embedded in his name above.  The first link to Craig Frazier is his main website.  The second link farther down is to his website devoted to his picture books.

This link is to the HarperCollins site where you can browse inside the book.  Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has two posts (maybe more) about the work of Craig Frazier here and here.  Enjoy the video below showcasing the book's release and more.

A Cat With Good Taste

Shelves in my dining room are home to more than seventy-five cookbooks and as many magazines.  A single drawer is filled with carefully labeled envelopes stuffed with clipped recipes.  I read cookbooks like some people read fiction. 

Surprisingly enough the students at the elementary and middle school (in my new district) were thrilled when I began purchasing those geared for them to circulate.  The demand was high.  For someone, like myself, who loves to cook for others, I was more than pleased to see my selections enjoyed over the years.

Growing up I can remember hearing the cooking show, The French Chef, on television and even peeking in from time to time to watch.  This week will mark the 100th anniversary of Julia Child's birth on August 15, 1912.  Author Susanna Reich has written Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat (Abrams Books for Young Readers) with illustrations by Amy Bates, not only to inform but as a tribute to a woman who made cooking joyful for many.

Minette Mimosa
McWilliams Child was a very
lucky cat, perhaps the luckiest
cat in all of Paris.

Within the first pages it begins with Minette in the home of Julia and Paul Child.  But the narrator takes readers back to when the Childs first arrived in Paris; speaking of their affection for one another, their love of exploring the sights, sounds and... the foods of France. They filled their dark, often chilly, apartment with the coziness of family and friends.  Having no children they were fortunate enough to have a cat choose them; filling their lives with the missing ingredient.

Minette's meal of choice was mouse or bird but even in the beginning Julia would serve her little tidbits of leftovers.  Having set her sights on improving her cooking skills, Julie began asking the vendors at the market for advice and eventually signed up for classes at Le Cordon, the creme de la creme of cooking schools.  When Julia perfects a new recipe, the guests's delight is no equal compared to the total glee of the cat when finally receiving her share of the tasty treat.

Susanna Reich sets the table with her words, enticing readers to the meal placed before them; a single portion but nevertheless an important part of Julia Child's life.  Her descriptions flow like a melody.  To start and finish the narrative she uses the same group of sentences, a reflection by Minette about the sounds and smells wafting in and out of the Child home.

Her blend of the cat's daily activities with those of Julia and Paul is seamless.  French words and phrases are introduced into the story, enhancing the flavor.   The last pages are filled with an afterword, notes, sources, a glossary and pronunciation guide and an author's note.

Here is a single passage.

They nibbled croissants in cafes where cats curled on chairs.
They munched on baguettes in bistros where birds warbled in cages.
They dined on rolls in restaurants where little white poodles nestled at ladies' feet.

Out of habit, as is my custom,  I unfolded the book jacket which is designed as two windows.  The front as you can see features Julia, Minette and an array of ingredients, and an open book around her stove with notable architectural structures of Paris in the background.  The jacket back is a window with panes opening outward to the city with kitchen utensils on the counter and the wee little mouse looking from the corner, cheese in hand.

The book's cover though is not a replica of the jacket but a reversal of the final two page spread in the book.  Illustrator Amy Bates, using pencil and watercolor, then gives us endpapers, opening and closing pages in a red-and-white-checked tablecloth pattern.  Warm earth tones permeate throughout as the size and shape of illustrations compliment and extend the storyline.

Detail is exquisite; the numbers on the wall beneath measuring cups showing their capacity, the bent heads of Julia and Paul depicting their love of each other and life, and the period attire on all the characters.  Extras such as the apartment upper floor rooms shown as a cross-section, an invitation to join the Child's world, are an integral part of the illustrations.  If I could frame one illustration it would be the two page spread of Julia in four different working poses as she cooks her heart out in the Paris apartment kitchen with Minette beneath the table eyes glued to the mouse peeking from the hole under the stove.

The writing by Susanna Reich blended with the illustrations of Amy Bates brings to younger readers the essence of an unforgettable American cook in Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat.  On June 19, 2012 Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast focuses on the impressive artwork of Bates.  Susanna Reich has numerous links at her website for further exploration.

Follow this link for more biographical information on Julia Child coupled with a short video.

In this video Susanna Reich talks about her career in writing leading up to Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat.



This interview repeats some information in the previous video but expands on other details.

This combination of Julia Child moments is wonderful.