Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat [Hardcover]

Susanna Reich (Author), Amy Bates (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

Minette's Feast introduces the iconic American chef Julia Child to a new audience of young readers through the story of her spirited cat, Minette, whom Julia adopted when living in Paris. While Julia is in the kitchen learning to master delicious French dishes, the only feast Minette is truly interested in is that of fresh mouse! This lively story is complete with an author's note, a bibliography, and actual quotations from Julia Child and comes just in time for the 100th anniversary of her birth.

STARRED REVIEWS
"A fine recipe for pleasure: Julia Child, the culinary arts, Paris and a lucky cat. Magnifique!" --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Bates' illustrations work marvelously well with this charming conceit." --Booklist, starred review

"Reich's internal rhymes make the proceedings feel festive, while her overall prose conveys Julia's seriousness of purpose. The smooth flow of her narrative belies the impressive amount of research she undertook to relate actual conversations and events...Discover: A delectable banquet that charts Julia Child's culinary progress through the eyes of her cat, Minette." --Shelf Awareness, starred review
 
"...feast for the senses" --School Library Journal, starred review
 
Praise for Minette's Feast
"Foodie parents who love cats will love to read this delightful book to their kids." --The Atlantic
 
"Cozy....lyrical....playful....lighthearted....charming." --Publishers Weekly
 
"A delectable tale about Julia Child discovering her culinary calling in Paris...This book is a charmer to share aloud with young people who enjoy a well-paced story and with cat lovers and food lovers of any age." --Horn Book

"A charming picture book....A great present for any fully-grown Julia-lover. Which, as we've established is everyone." --The New York Times Sunday Book Review

"Amy Bates uses pencil and watercolor to create artwork that is as playful as Minette the cat." --Library Media Connection
 
"charmingly lyrical" --Chicago Tribune
 
"gorgeous" --Cat Wisdom 101
 
"The language is as rich as Julia's cooking....Handsome, evocative illustrations by Amy Bates add generously to the book's flavor....Sure to delight and inform foodies -- and non-foodies -- of all ages." --WETA Reading Rockets
 
"...this charming tale gives voice to the food icon for a whole new generation." -- San Francisco Chronicle
 
"...transcends its target audience of young children to include foodies and fans of the iconoclastic Child." --Sacramento Bee
 
"a charming picture book" --Boston Globe
 
"With an infectious energy and what comes across as a warm-hearted reverence for Child and her accomplishments, this picture book biography entertains." --Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
 
"charming" --LA Weekly
 
"yummy and hilarious.... A delectable, amusing, and cleverly written book." --Reading Today
 
"enchanting" --KQED

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I've been a lifelong Julia fan, and was thrilled to meet her when I created the flower arrangements for her 80th birthday party in NYC. Later I became an award-winning children's book author, and for years I wanted to write a book about her. Then I found out she was a cat lover who got her first cat, Minette, when she and her husband lived in Paris. Julia fed Minette leftovers (lucky cat!), and in return Minette brought Julia...fresh-caught mice! Julia wrote about Minette in her letters and memoirs, and now kids can get to know Julia through this funny and very tasty story. Amy Bates' exquisite illustrations perfectly capture both Minette's antics and the warmth and charm of Julia Child and the City of Light. Great for kids, foodies, Francophiles, Julia Child fans and cat lovers, too.

About the Author

Susanna Reich is an award-winning author of many fiction and nonfiction books. She lives in Ossining, New York. Visit www.susannareich.com. Amy Bates is the illustrator of The Dog Who Belonged to No One and Bear in the Air. She splits her time between the United States and Tokyo.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419701770
• ISBN-13: 978-1419701771
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults, Susanna Reich has driven big trucks, designed flowers in honor of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and done graduate work in ancient Hawaiian hula. Her honors include the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, Int'l Latino Book Award, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Notable & Best Books for Young Adults, School Library Journal Best Books, Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, and many others. Ms. Reich sits on the Board of Trustees of PEN American Center and is Chair of its Children's and Young Adult Book Authors Committee. She speaks nationally at schools and industry conferences. Visit her online at www.susannareich.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Julia Child to your children April 23, 2012

By Tereza aka MyTreasuredCreations

Format:Hardcover

I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" and I thought it was a wonderful way to tell Julia Child's life story. She was such an intense and creative person. The movie sparked my curiosity to know more about her. When I saw this book at my library, I picked it up right away.

This book in the same way depicts Julia Child as an intense and creative person. My children from 9 y.o. to 4 y.o. loved the book. Afterwards we watched a few YouTube videos of Julia Child cooking on her famous cooking show.

As we read, we practiced french words and Julia's excitement for cooking. We read the book many times over and I highly recommend it. The cat is used in the book to catch the children's attention and hold it there, while the author tells of Child's perseverance to master the art of cooking. The cat does just that, but it does not distract from the main character: Child. In fact, I think the cat plays a very important part as it tells of a more private part of Julia's life.

The illustrations are also beautifully done and so creative. In one part you can see all the rooms of her apartment and how the animals (mice, pigeons and cat) live around it. This book would not be the same without this illustrator. Amy Bates did a beautiful job.

I love the additional information at the end of the book: afterword (where the author shares more on Julia Child's life), Notes, Sources, Glossary and pronunciation guide and the author's note where she shares how she met Julia. All in all, a wonderful children's book: informative, character building and a lovely piece of artwork.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect library purchase July 10, 2012

By michael a mccoy

Format:Hardcover

As a librarian, one of the hardest things is to find a good recent biography about someone besides a sports figure or rock star. MINETTE'S FEAST certainly fits the bill. Choosing Julia Child is risky, perhaps, but it is told so wonderfully and creatively that anyone will be totally won over. Told through the eyes of the cat that Julia adopts while in Paris, we see Julia experimenting with food and recipes, on her way to becoming the renowned and loved French Chef. (We've all wanted to be a fly on the wall; why not the cat on the floor?) The illustrations are a perfect complement to the text, enhancing the mood of the book as wonderful food is created and eaten (but sadly for Minette, none include mouse). The author has done a masterful job of using her cat to show us how Julia Child discovered her true calling, and then worked hard to master it, but still finding the fun and creativity that was there. Lucky Minette! A book I would gladly recommend to any child or clever adult who was interested in cooking, or just in how someone found her true path in life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers will love this July 11, 2012

By Carol Ekster

Format:Hardcover

Minette's Feast is a well written delightful picture book biography. It tells about Julia Child and her cat Minette who was lucky to live in such a splendid smelling home of a woman who enjoyed the delights of feasting and preparing food. The thing is...cats prefer mouse! The cat will interest children while they get to be inspired by a different sort of biography than they usually read or hear. But also, teachers will love the fabulous use of verbs in this book. I taught 4th grade for 35 years, and this would have been a perfect book to have kids listen to and raise their hand when they heard a verb, or use scrap paper and jot down verbs and then share afterward. Great alliteration as well.