cover image What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?

What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?

Felicita Sala. Prestel Junior, $14.95 (48p) ISBN 978-3-7913-7397-3

Sala opens with a portrait of a stately building with wrought-iron balconies and plumes of kitchen odor wafting from the windows. “Something smells good at n. 10, Garden Street. Delicious, actually!” Hand-lettered text introduces the building’s inhabitants, each one at work cooking, while opposing pages hold the recipes they’re making alongside vignettes of the ingredients. In one kitchen, Pilar makes salmorejo; in another, Mister Ping stir-fries small pieces of broccoli (“His nephew Benjamin calls them little trees”). Sixteen recipes, some vegetarian, are included in all. Sala’s portraits glow with domestic affection (decor adheres closely to the characters’ backgrounds), and kitchen utensils, plants, and wall art create a quilt of comfort and reassurance. At the end, Sala reveals what all the cooking is for: a communal dinner in the back garden. Though the recipes aren’t really suited to young chefs, Sala’s illustrations are filled with wonderful objects to notice and a message that nothing draws people into fellowship like breaking bread together. Ages 6–9. [em](Sept.) [/em]