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Overview
With his signature finely detailed illustrations, Peter Kent looks at ten fabulous feasts from different cultures and periods of history. From the debauchery of a Roman saturnalia to the down-home fun of a nineteenth-century American barn raising, the seemingly odd customs and food of various feasts are vividly illustrated here. Also included are lists of guzzling guests and menu delicacies for readers to find in the illustrations, as well as a look at some ways that people have prepared food throughout history.Editorials
Children's Literature -
Although brief in text, Kent's book is high in entertainment. Served in the book are ten historical feasts. Beginning with "A Mamoth Meal" of 8000 B.C., continuing through festivities in Egypt, Rome, Greece, and India; it closes with a Christmas meal in the WW I trenches in 1914. Each setting includes a meal, a description of the festivities, and a list of "guzzling guests." Children will enjoy locating the various people, animals, and foods displayed on each page. The tasty illustrations are whimsical and detailed, begging to be studied. Some items featured will cause squeals--a boiled ox head served with fruit, roasted mice, stuffed swan, or tamales stuffed with insect eggs and worms. There is also an illustrated "Curious Kitchens" section, a world map, a glossary, and an index. Bon appetit! Enjoy the fun without the calories.School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-This lighthearted glance at 10 celebratory meals from different places and periods of history has a "Where's Waldo" quality about it. After an introductory double-spread world map indicating the locations of the feasts, each occasion is shown in a two-page spread dominated by ink-and-watercolor drawings done in great detail. In addition to a short description of the gathering, there is a menu and a guest list; if readers look carefully at the busy illustrations, they can spot, for example, "A boiled ox's head served with fruit" and "2 acrobats bending over backward" at an Egyptian dinner party. The time span ranges from 8000 B.C.E. ("A Mammoth Meal"-woolly, that is) to "A Front Line Christmas" in 1914 when the German and French armies stopped fighting for a brief celebration. This British import is mostly for fun: the message is that people everywhere have always had good parties.-Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.Book Details
Published
March 1, 1999
Publisher
Millbrook Press
Pages
32
Format
Binding
ISBN
9780761314158