Follow the Recipe

February 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Singer's latest poetry collection is an earnest but ultimately bland offering, even when seasoned with Priceman's distinctive and energetic illustrations. Each poem is a recipe, even as the poems vary in structure. The accompanying illustrations often mimic handwritten recipe cards and feature prints of fruits and vegetables, but also depict children of varying skin tones and backgrounds cooking and enjoying the food. Individually the poems are mostly successful, though some feel quite forced. Reading through the book as a whole feels disjointed: a recipe for "enjoying the seasons" is followed by "a recipe for following recipes" and then "a recipe for social studies." The book's intended audience is unclear. The artwork and more than a few of the poems feel nostalgic, but this aesthetic and tone could potentially appeal more to adult readers. It's sweet, but not particularly exciting and is unlikely to garner much attention from young poetry and culinary enthusiasts. VERDICT Unfortunately, Singer's collection doesn't quite hit the mark. A potential addition for large or specialty collections, but generally it's safe to skip this one.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 17, 2020
Singer weaves the language of cooking with witty and poignant observations of the world in this collection of inventive recipes for sentiments and ideas. Expressed in both free verse and rhyme, poems in myriad forms invite readers into the state of attention required for both cooking and living a thoughtful life. They range from the meta (“recipe for a good recipe”) to the experiential (“recipes for enjoying the seasons”) and conceptual (“recipe for disaster”), offering moments of conventional but appealingly rendered wisdom. “Recipe for endurance” charges readers to “think of a time before blenders and mixers/ electrical fixers/ ...Keep stirring the pot.” Caldecott Honoree Priceman surrounds each poem with scenes of animals, flowers, children of varying ethnicities, and hand-lettering, rendered in a vibrant mix of gouache, collage, and block prints; together, it resembles the kind of scrapbook-esque recipe collection that one might inherit from a loved one. An inventive and artfully composed volume. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2020
An eclectic collection of recipes--not for cooking but for life. Employing myriad forms--from traditional sonnets to syncopated free verse--Singer hopscotches from themes revealing commonalities among food, recipes, and poetry to broader, kid-friendly treatments of nature, reading, and social studies. The collection starts with a definition: "What's in a good recipe? / Something right for me and you / Steps to follow, A to Z." Another poem draws parallels between writing and cooking: "Sometimes you must follow things strictly word for word. / Sometimes it's more lively if you improvise." A cluster of haiku becomes a guide to enjoying the seasons: "Pomegranate seeds: / In fall, I am rich enough / to dine on rubies." Another poem muses on memories: "Sometimes it's just a sharp whiff of mustard, / and you recall being at the ballpark." Toward the end of the book, poems grow increasingly sophisticated, offering recipes for courage and understanding. Priceman's playful combination of collage, printmaking, and energetic brush strokes evokes the offbeat nostalgia of a grandma's recipe box. Her inclusion of a multiracial cast is commendable. While most of the poems tickle the imagination and roll smoothly off the tongue, a few fall flat, such as this that ends, "Although sometimes, / you're bound to fail, / keep measuring--and use a scale." A mixed bag thematically but a delicious collection nevertheless. (Picture book/poetry. 6-11)

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March 1, 2020
Grades 1-3 Children's poet Singer and Caldecott Honor-winning artist Priceman have cooked up an original picture book that resembles both a slim volume of poetry and that stash of recipe cards Grandma might have kept in the kitchen. The collection has plenty of cooking-related recipe-poems, about how to measure ingredients or how one should cook only when in a good mood. But while food is in the forefront of each poem, the topics quickly become philosophical?even self-referential. There's a recipe for a good recipe, a recipe for following recipes, and a recipe for a poem. There's also a dash of self-help: How can one live better through food? Take the Recipe for Originality: To be unique, there's no quick fix: / Make your cakes from scratch. The bright, whimsical artwork is full of movement, reminiscent of the cooking process itself as one tosses and mixes ingredients. Young readers will love the fun and challenging words that poetry can showcase?celeriac, anyone? And they'll relate to the joy that food can bring, which emanates from each page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)