Good Soup Attracts Chairs, A [Paperback]

Fran Osseo-Asare (Author), Joyce Haynes (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A Good Soup Attracts Chairs bridges cultures on each side of the Atlantic through the ethnic cooking of the African nation of Ghana. One of the best ways to teach children about their world neighbors is to introduce them to a common point of both cultures-food. This new children's book helps church groups, slumber parties, scout troops, classrooms, or families build a special relationship with the children of another continent through easy-to-supervise recipes for traditional African dishes. Drinks, desserts, and main dishes are just some of the recipes available in this book. The menu includes some familiar dishes like Corned Beef Stew and Rice and Beans; but for a true adventure, readers should sample Gari Foto, Egg Curry, Banku and Kenkey, or African Doughnuts. The thirty-seven recipes come with instructions and safety tips for hassle-free cooking, so parents can join in the fun. Basic cooking tips are covered as well as the special African techniques. There are also hints for cooking from scratch and using available substitutes. Fran Osseo-Asare is the wife of a Ghanaian national. While visiting Ghana on her own and with her husband, she lived among the Ghanaians and learned the ways of the kitchen from her African friends and family. She credits the ease of recreating the recipes to her husband's guiding knowledge and the assistance of her three children.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-9. This attractive cookbook includes more than 35 recipes from Ghana in West Africa, from palmnut soup and African doughnuts to kelewele (fried plantain cubes) and peanut butter stew. The author, an American married to a Ghanaian, draws on her family experience living and cooking in both countries. Her introduction stresses the connection between the food of the West African coast and that of the American South, including the use of such ingredients as okra, peanuts, sesame, and black-eyed peas. The recipes--drinks, main courses, starchy accompaniments, snacks, and desserts--are divided into three levels of difficulty, but although there are tips about safety in preparation and cooking, most dishes will require adult supervision. The design is handsome: each recipe has chatty, practical directions in spacious type and is illustrated with a luscious color photograph. There's also a detailed glossary of West African ingredients, a section on how to have an African party (with information on games, music, crafts, and decorations, as well as food), and a bibliography. The lack of an index is offset by the detailed table of contents. A nice addition to multicultural collections. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Joyce Haynes, a resident of Pineville, Missouri, has won numerous local, state, and national awards for her illustrations.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156554918X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565549180
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,588,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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