Lidia's Family Kitchen

March 11, 2013
Fans of Bastianich’s cooking shows on PBS will be familiar with her mother, Erminia, whose birthday brings the whole family together in the author’s second picture book, following 2010’s Nonna Tell Me a Story. As Nonni Lidia and her five grandchildren try to plan a menu for her mother’s birthday dinner, Lidia shares a season-by-season reminiscence of her childhood in Istria, now part of Croatia. Spring meant picking fresh peas, summer involved hunting down goose eggs, and harvesting potatoes and relying on preserved foods accompanied autumn and winter. There’s a strong locavore emphasis throughout, especially when—back in the present day—Nonni Lidia and her grandchildren visit the farmer’s market, gathering ingredients for pasta primavera. All five grandkids get lines and moments in the spotlight (one can’t play favorites where grandchildren are involved), which tends to further slow an already sluggish story. Graef (Paul Bunyan’s Sweetheart) provides soft, cheery scenes of intergenerational interaction, highlighting the idea that children can play active roles in family meals. More than a dozen recipes, organized by season, close out the story. All ages. Illustrator’s agent: Cornell and McCarthy.

March 15, 2013
The chef and television personality makes another charming foray into family and food history (Nonna Tell Me a Story, 2010). Nonni Lidia welcomes her five grandchildren into her kitchen to discover that they want to make dinner for their great-grandmother Nonna, who is 92. Lidia tells them about growing up in Istria in Italy, where her family grew or raised much of their food, and the joys of eating by season. At the local farmers' market, Nonni Lidia gives each child some money and tells them to buy what seems good to them. With the lovingly described tomatoes, basil, cheese and asparagus the children buy, they come home to make pasta primavera. There is something of an overuse of the word "special," and exclamation points are sprinkled about with abandon. Still, Lidia's exhortations about seasonal, fresh and healthful eating and her celebration of the sensuous joys of touching, tasting and experiencing food are evocative and winning. The 18 recipes at the back are excellent; they are aimed at adults and accompanied by a sensible list of what kids can do to assist in preparing each one. Graef's illustrations are rosy, and the people, animals and foodstuffs are depicted with plump, round edges; all are washed in the golden light of memory. Grazie! for this warm celebration. (Picture book/cookbook. 6-10, adult)

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June 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-The celebrity chef gathers her five grandchildren to make a meal for their other grandmother's birthday. Before they start the dinner preparations, Bastianich tells about her childhood on a farm in Italy. She explains how each of the four seasons has its special foods. This leads to a lesson on where food comes from, and then they all go to a farmer's market where the children are told to pick out anything they want. "We can figure out what to make when we get it all home," says Grandma. Once home they discover that they have just what they need to make pasta primavera, and they all help prepare the meal. More family members arrive, and the birthday is duly celebrated. The remainder of the book is recipes, at least four for each season. The recipes make up such a prominent part of the book that it's best shelved in the 641s rather than in the picture-book section. The recipes are quite complex but each one has a "Kids Can" section for the parts of the preparation that are appropriate for children. The illustrations vary in size from full spreads to three varying scenes per spread. The faces are uniform and unchanging. This is a title that the whole family can enjoy as grown-ups and kids start cooking together.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

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