How Ma Mon Luk Found Love,
Riches, and the Perfect Bowl of Soup
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Millbrook Press
(Lerner Publishing)
(pub. 4.2.2024)
32 pages
Ages 7 -11
Author: Jacqueline
Chio-Lauri
Illustrator: Kristin Sorra
Character: Ma Mon Luk
Overview:
" Rejected by the parents of the girl he loves for being poor, Ma Mon Luk strikes out from China and boards a steamship headed for the Philippines in 1918.
He vows to make a fortune and return for his beloved. Ma creates a chicken noddle soup he calls mami―"ma" for his name and "mi" for noodles―and peddles it as a street vendor. He eventually earns enough to open his own restaurant and wins the approval of the parents of his true love."
Tantalizing taste:
"Everyone, rich or poor, could buy Ma's noodles. He made sure of that. A few centavos bought shorter snips. More centavos bought longer snips.
As customers slurped down their mee, Ma regaled them with stories of his motherland..
When he returned home late in the evening, he kicked off his tire-soled shoes and slumped into a chair.
'Aiyo', he moaned, rubbing his aching shoulder and putting up his blistered feet."
And something more: The author, Jacqueline Chio-Lauri shared in the Author's Note: "My mother, a Filipino, and my father, a Chinese immigrant who I didn't get a chance to know, met each other in Manila's Chinatown, the place where most of this story took place. I grew up in the Phillippines. I've eaten mami. I've heard of Ma Mon Luk, the restaurant (my parents had eaten there before I was born). But I didn't get to know Ma Mon Luk's story until 2018." And the More about Ma and His Mami also explained that "Mami has become a big part of Filipino food culture. Although Ma is famous for mami, he is also remembered by many for his generosity and kindheartedness."
How Lucille Ball Did It All
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 3.19.2024)
48 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Authors: Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville
and Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Character: Lucille Ball
Overview:
" Lucy was not a proper little girl. She was sassy. She was bold. She was funny. She was a rule-breaking, chance-taking, comedy pioneer.
Can’t act? Can’t sing? Can’t dance? Lucy proves them all wrong—and then has the last laugh when she finally lets her inner funny girl shine. In 1951, the hit show I Love Lucy took television by storm, and has made millions laugh ever since.
Lucy! is the true story of how Lucille Ball overcame the odds to become the world’s Queen of Comedy."
Tantalizing taste:
"Her first day on the studio lot, Lucy was eager to perform - but she was directed to stand silently in the background with a group of other 'Goldwyn girls' picked to fill out the scene. Once again, Lucy wouldn't get to be her silly, sassy self.
Until clever Lucy had an idea: She'd show them what made her special.
When the movie's star came over to say hello, Lucy knew just how to make him chuckle...
And when the director needed an actor to take a pie to the face, Lucy was the first to volunteer...
One day, Lucy accepted a role in a radio comedy show. She played a rebellious and funny housewife, at a time when housewives were supposed to be pretty, proper, and polite."
And something more: The authors, Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, shared in the Authors' Note: "In 1962, Lucy became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu Productions not only made I Love Lucy, but also went on to produce Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and many other famous shows."
The authors also shared that "Lucy's antics kept her live studio audience roaring - the show holds the record for receiving the longest laugh in television history. It was so long - 67 seconds- that it had to be cut down for the final airing!" Of course, I had to find out which scene it was -- it's when Lucy hid dozens of eggs in her shirt to fill up their non-producing henhouse. But before she can deliver them, Desi asks to practice the tango which ends with a hug and a huge SPLAT!
Updated: Aug 18
Gilbert Stuart's Brush with George Washington
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 8.27.2024)
40 pages
Ages 7 -10
Author: Sarah Albee
Illustrator: Stacy Innerst
Characters: Gilbert Stuart and George Washington
Overview:
"George Washington and artist Gilbert Stuart didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but both men knew the importance of legacy and the power of art. Though George disliked having his portrait painted—which took days and days to complete—he knew his place in history would require people to know his face.
Fortunately, Gilbert Stuart’s unique way of painting didn’t compel his subjects to sit for hours on end—in fact, he encouraged them to move around and even bring friends to chat with. Capturing the soul of each subject, his portraits were unlike any other artists’. And Gilbert Stuart’s one-of-a-kind portrait of Washington stands the test of time—it’s the one that’s used on the one-dollar bill."
Tantalizing taste:
"Martha Washington convinces her husband
to pose for one more portrait.
It's for the grandchildren!
The president reluctantly agrees -
just so long as she doesn't hire
that infernal chatterbox Gilbert Stuart.
Martha hires Gilbert Stuart to paint the
president's portrait.
(She'll have him paint her portrait, too.)
The painter is primed to paint the president.
If he can pull off a perfect portrait,
he can paint and sell copies of it (called replicas).
He'll be able to pay off all his debts.
(Gilbert Stuart tends to spend money faster than he can earn it.)"
And something more: A detailed timeline in the back matter of The Painter and the President includes fascinating facts about both Stuart and Washington, including "in 1796: Gilbert Stuart begins a second portrait of George Washington, as well as one of Martha Washington. He never finishes either portrait but will paint at least 75 replicas of his painting of George Washington."
Author Sarah Albee kindly shared with me: "As I was writing this book I tried to picture what the illustrations might look like. How, I wondered, will an artist handle illustrating a book about another artist? Stacy Innerst's style turned out to be a perfect match. His choice to embed actual Gilbert Stuart paintings into his own illustrations worked so well. It's easy to see what's Gilbert and what's Stacy, and their styles complement one another beautifully. Plus Stacy has a fantastic sense of humor." Yes, Stacy's style and the blending with the Gilbert Stuart paintings are perfect for this book. And the humor matches the clever text too!
