Chef Edna

Queen of Southern Cooking,

Edna Lewis

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Cameron Kids

(Abrams Books for Young Readerr)

(pub.4.18.2023) 32 pages

Author: Melvina Noel

Illustrator: Cozbi A. Cabrera

Character: Edna Lewis

Overview:

" Edna loved to cook. Growing up on a farm in Freetown, Virginia, she learned the value of fresh, local, seasonal food from her Mama Daisy, how to measure ingredients for biscuits using coins, and to listen closely to her cakes to know when they were done.

Edna carried these traditions with her all the way to New York, where she became a celebrated chef, who could even turn traditional French food into her signature Southern style. The author of several cookbooks and the recipient of numerous awards, Chef Edna introduced the world to the flavors of her home."

Tantalizing taste:

" Frying, roasting, stewing, baking. Roast chicken, filet mignon, fish, zucchini squash, green salad. Chocolate soufflé, caramel cake.

The restaurant was a smash. Edna peeped out from the kitchen to watch actors and editors, poets and playwrights, even a a First Lady enjoy her food. It reminded her of family dinners in Freetown. One diner would beg her to make her biscuits. Another asked her if she'd studied her craft in Paris. What was her secret?

Edna just smiled. Her Paris was Freetown, the flavors of home passed down from one generation to the next."

And something more: Melvina Noel in the Author's Note explains that "The Edna Lewis Foundation was created in January of 2012, six years after Edna passed away. Their mission statement is to 'revive, preserve, and celebrate the rich history of African American cookery by cultivating a deeper understanding of Southern food and culture in America.'"

The Forest Keeper

The true story of Jadav Payeng

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

NorthSouth Books

(pub.4.18.2023) 40 pages

Author: Rina Singh

Illustrator: Ishita Jain

Character: Jadav Payeng

Overview:

" What can one person do in the face of global environmental degradation? Indian Jadav Payeng has proven that each and every one of us can make a difference. As a boy, he began planting trees on a sandbank in the state of Assam.

Nobody believed that he would succeed in doing so. But since 1979, a forest the size of Central Park has emerged, offering a home to countless animals and plants. It was not until 2007 that a photographer accidentally discovered the forest and made Payeng known to the world beyond India."

Tantalizing taste:

"Every day he took the bamboo seedlings, a stick, and a bucket and rode his bike to the river.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

All day long he dug holes in the sandy soul soil and planted the seedlings. His hands bruised and his shoulders ached, but he dug, and he planted. He made hundreds of trips to the river to bring water to tend the growing seedlings. It wasn't easy. In fact, it was an impossible task. But he was not one to give up."

And something more: The last page of the book explains that "Jadav Molai Payeng, a tribesman from Majuli, has since 1979 planted a forest on an abandoned sandbar where nothing had grown before... He labored in isolation and complete anonymity, and his forest grew so gradually that it went unnoticed for thirty years... The forest has become a migration corridor for a herd of more than a hundred elephants."

Cher Ami

Based on the World War I

Legend of the Fearless Pigeon

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Christy Ottaviano Books

(Little, Brown and Company)

(pub.5.31.22) 40 pages

Author: Mélisande Potter

Illustrator: Giselle Potter

Character: Cher Ami, a pigeon

Overview:

" In October 1918, during World War I, nearly seven hundred American soldiers were trapped behind enemy lines with no prospect of rescue. Allied troops did not have access to their location, and every attempt at communication provoked more casualties. Their only hope—to dispatch a trained messenger pigeon to reach help miles away.

This unforgettable story celebrates courage and determination in its most vulnerable form. Cher Ami was shot down during her mission yet managed to save many lives, proving her fearless flight was a remarkable one."

Tantalizing taste:

" Off she flew in the middle of bursting bombs and blinding flashes of light. Cher Ami struggled to fly above the range of fire, determined to succeed. Her eyes hurt from the clouds of smoke, and it was difficult to breath. With great courage, she raced at top speed until she reached her home loft.

The soldiers greeted her with cheers - and her dinner too. A day-old baguette had never tasted so good!"

And something more: Mélisande Potter, in A Note from the Author explains that "This telling of Cher Ami's story is a blend of truth and legend. Some facts remain unclear, but what is certain is that Cher Ami was a courageous pigeon [ who received many awards, including] in 2019 the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery."

The author and illustrator are a mother-daughter pair, and illustrator Giselle Potter dedicated the book: "For Mom".