A Bank Street Best Book 2025
2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List
★ “The writing in this book beautifully spells out the problem home cooks faced with recipes back in Fannie Farmer’s day…’Both in books and out loud, the instructions were often cloudier than clam chowder.’ Although the colorful and sprightly illustrations use a style that seems aimed at younger readers, older children will love the fact that the publisher of her book, the meticulously rewritten Boston Cooking School’s cookbook, didn’t think it would sell much; Farmer paid for the printing so that she could keep most of the profits, too. Savvy! A fabulous book…[T]his book rightfully bestows hall of fame status to a woman who insisted on accuracy when it came to getting success—not waste—from a recipe every time. For the biography shelves.” —School Library Journal, starred review
★ “A very inspiring biography.” —Youth Services Book Review, starred review
“This picture book biography of 19th-century culinary expert Fannie Farmer should be a hit with kids who love to mess around in the kitchen. The accessible, cheerfully feminist text celebrates Farmer’s application of scientific principles to the process of preparing a meal, and the extensive endmatter is a great launchpad for any reader who wants to do more rigorous research of their own.”—Literary Hub
“Fannie Farmer…gets the picture-book biography treatment in this well-researched, lightly told, and evocatively illustrated recounting of her story…As we follow her to Boston Cooking School, the vintage-style illustrations help transport the reader through time. This is an excellent introduction to a woman who’s probably unknown to most but whose work has impacted all, but the real star of this show is the extensive, detailed back matter: an end note with further information on topics covered in the book, suggested reads and watch lists, and a multipage time line. This is a strong addition to library and school shelves with possible curricular tie-ins.” —Booklist
“The prose is peppered with rich cooking imagery…Reagan’s engaging watercolor and digital illustrations convey a sense of Fannie’s world; quotations from her writings are interspersed..Delectable!”—Kirkus Reviews
“A charming book! An evocation of having fun cooking in the kitchen.”—Anne Willan, author of Women in the Kitchen:Twelve Essential Cookbook Authors Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today, and founder of La Varenne Cooking School
“What a delightful read! Fannie Farmer’s story is inspiring on so many levels. I can’t wait to try the recipes with my own kid!”—Georgia Freedman, food writer, cookbook author, blogger at The California Table and coauthor of The Ranch Table
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