Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and 38 Other Wild Recipes [Hardcover]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Paul Mirocha (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1995 | Age Level: 7 and up

Come On Out
And Gather
Wild
Foods

All that is needed is a penknife, a bag, and fingers. Wear old clothes and old shoes. Wild crops are found along roadsides and waterways; in marshes, fields, forests, city parks; and even on sidewalks. Then follow Jean Craighead George's simple recipes for cooking these wild foods -- and enjoy!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. Even those who never quite get around to baking a loaf of acorn bread, tossing a "Weedy Lawn Salad," or frying up a mess of dandelion fritters will get a kick out of browsing through this attractive book. Based on George's more complete The Wild, Wild Cookbook (1982), this volume includes fewer plants and recipes, but looks much more inviting. Botanically precise and visually appealing, Mirocha's full-color artwork in gouache and colored pencil appears on every page yet never dominates the book. For those who find wild foods intriguing, George offers sensible foraging guidelines and creative cooking ideas. Carolyn Phelan

About the Author

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a family of naturalists, Jean George has centered her life around writing and nature. She attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with degrees in English and science. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House press corps and a reporter for the Washington Post. Ms. George, who has written over 90 books - among them My Side of the Mountain (Dutton), a 1960 Newbery Honor Book, and its sequels On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain (both Dutton) - also hikes, canoes, and makes sourdough pancakes. In 1991, Ms. George became the first winner of the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association's Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented to her for the "consistent superior quality" of her literary works.

Her inspiration for the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves evolved from two specific events during a summer she spent studying wolves and tundra at the Arctic Research Laboratory of Barrow, Alaska: "One was a small girl walking the vast ad lonesome tundra outside of Barrow; the other was a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park ... They haunted me for a year or more, as did the words of one of the scientists at the lab: 'If there ever was any doubt in my mind that a man could live with the wolves, it is gone now. The wolves are truly gentlemen, highly social and affectionate.'"

The mother of three children, Jean George is a grandmother who has joyfully red to her grandchildren since they were born. Over the years Jean George has kept 173 pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn, when the sun changes their behavior and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060215496
• ISBN-13: 978-0060215491
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colorful and inviting, March 29, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Murray, Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and 38 Other Wild Recipes (Hardcover)

This is the first wild-foods book I have found that is ideal for children. Preteens and young teenagers can be intimidated or overwhelmed by Billy Joe Tatum, or tuned out to the personal story flavor of Euell Gibbons. This book is so clear and so beautifully illustrated-- it is perfect to get young people involved in the foraging lifestyle. It's botanically precise, as well, to assuage the fears of worried mothers! The book is not just for young people, of course; it is a joy for foragers of all ages.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's true! You can eat dandelions and acorns!, June 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and 38 Other Wild Recipes (Hardcover)

Simply fascinating book on ordinary plants in your own yard. Great recipes and very entertaining. I did not know you could eat half of this stuff! Wowie!