Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters [Paperback]

Jane (RTL) Yolen (Author), Heidi E. Y. Stemple (Author), Philippe Beha (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

This book presents stories from the earliest days of stories, when hunters told of their exploits around the campfire, to the era of kings listening to the storyteller at the royal feast, to the time of TV dinners, stories and eating have been close companions. So it is not unusual that folk stories are often about food: Jack's milk cow traded for beans, Snow White given a poisoned apple, Hansel and Gretel lured by the gingerbread house. Exquisitely illustrated by Philippe Beha, "Fairy Tale Feasts" is more than a collection of stories and recipes. In it, Caldecott-winning author Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple, imagine readers as co-conspirators, cooks and tellers of tales themselves.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 5–This collection of 20 fairy tales, each accompanied by at least one recipe, is an oversized, glossy concoction. Most of the stories are European, told in a conversational tone mixing tradition with a dash of the modern (in Cinderella, for instance, …a fairy–with wings and a wand and who knew a wish when she heard it–appeared before her, wrapped in stars.) Toddlers will enjoy The Runaway Pancake, while fourth and fifth graders will appreciate Yolen's Snow White (this heroine doesn't pull any punches). The recipes include tasty-sounding dishes like Very French Toast (to go with the French folktale Diamonds and Toads). Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert are all represented. The dishes will be best for experienced cooks, as some judgment calls are in order (serves a family is stated several times). Sidebars throughout give interesting facts about the stories and the recipes. Yolen's knowledge of folklore shows in her tidbits about the tales and their origins. Many of the food facts are intriguing, too. For instance, alongside the Stone Soup recipe is a note that Al Capone set up Chicago's first soup kitchen. Beha's illustrations, with bright colors and bold, simple lines, are set off by lots of white space, adding to the appealing and accessible look. This is similar to Carol MacGregor's The Fairy Tale Cookbook (Macmillan, 1982; o.p.), but that book does not include complete stories. A fun book for family sharing.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

From prehistoric times, stories and food have been "close companions," say Yolen and her daughter, who contributed the recipes in this creative book, which folds fairy tales into a cookbook of kid-friendly recipes. The stories, with the exception of one original story by Yolen, represent mostly European folktales, and Yolen retells them with her usual verve and ease. The tales are divided into four sections (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert), and each story is paired with at least one recipe that connects with the story's themes or references. For example, "Cinderella" inspires a recipe for pumpkin tarts, and "The Runaway Pancake" is matched with instructions for, naturally, "Runaway Pancakes." Stemple's recipes require adult supervision, but the resulting dishes, as well as Beha's spare, whimsical spot illustrations, will capture children's fancy. Detailed marginalia greatly enhance both the folktales and the food sections of this charming offering, which the whole family will appreciate. For more about cooking with kids, suggest Molly Katzen'sSalad People and More Real Recipes (2005) and the titles featured in the Read-alikes "Kids in the Kitchen," in Booklist's October 15, 2005, issue. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc; 1 Reprint edition (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566567513
• ISBN-13: 978-1566567510
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Storybook with Recipes!, June 29, 2006

By 

L Smith "acozylover" (Macomb, MI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters (Hardcover)

I love to browse through different cookbooks. I have quite a collection, and usually go to the library to find new recipes to try before I decide to purchase the entire book. I normally look for 3 things in a cookbook, besides delicious recipes that will work for my family. This includes:

1) Pictures of more than ¾ of the recipes (Color pictures are the best)
2) A spiral binding, or at least on that easily lays flat
3) New & innovative recipes that have ingredients I can easily find at a grocery store

For this book, I was intrigued by the fact that each fairy tale in the book was accompanied by at least one recipe that goes along with it. For example, Little Red Riding Hood is accompanied by recipes for Deviled Eggs, Granny's Potato Salad, and Chicken Salad Pockets (all of the items that may have been included in Riding Hood's basket). The book offers great illustrations to go along with each story...this is a beautiful book! However, there are no actual photographs of the finished recipes, and was not in a binding that laid flat. Even though I normally wouldn't rate a cookbook as a 5 star without these items, the premise of the book was fun and fresh, and the book itself was lovely.

I loved the concept of this book, and highly recommend it as a gift for children that like stories and cooking.

Some of our favorites include: Chicken Salad Pockets, Sweet-Smelling Cinnamon Bread, Jack's Magic Party Beans, and Snow White's Baked Apples. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Food Facts are the Most Fun, September 30, 2007

By 

Laura J. Johnson (Montana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters (Hardcover)

Overall I really liked this book. Jane Yolen's versions of 20 fairy tales (many having to do with food) were fun and nicely retold. Some are pretty familiar to us all and other are more obscure. I also liked the offbeat illustrations by Phillippe Beha.

I'm not sure who did the research but what I enjoyed most were the history of the tales and the facts about food in the columns next to the recipes. Did you know that grapes are considered berries and that pumpkins are 90% water? Who knew? Those types of things in the book I found to be really fascinating.

I love the concept of this book but unfortunately, the recipes are not very magical. I'm sure the woman who wrote the recipes was trying to keep things simple so that children could easily participate in the cooking. Simple is fine but a little inspiration would have helped a lot. The twenty or so recipes are very ordinary on the whole.

This could have been a book used to introduce children to new foods (you know--some of that green stuff along with some herbs and spices) but that is not what we end up getting so it's a bit of a disappointment to an otherwise delightful book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding collection, August 11, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters (Hardcover)

Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook For Young Readers & Eaters pairs recipes by Heidi E.Y. Stempled with tales retold by Yolen and illustrations by Philippe Beha. The food focus provides a lively collection pairing sidebars about the stories' creation and food history with recipes and classics. Kids and parents will find it an outstanding collection.