Staff Picks
Fry Bread, Bi-Bim-Bop, & More!
- Jocelyn T.
- Friday, October 02, 2020
Collection
While we all have our differences, one thing we can all agree on is food! There are so many cultures and countries all over the world that have delicious dishes that everyone can enjoy. From kimchi to tamales, our tastebuds await the next yummy surprise and insight into both familiar and new worlds.
Read these stories to learn more about different types of tasty cuisines, the unique characters behind these cuisines, and how these cuisines bring us all together.
Looking for even more good books? Check out our personalized recommendations or call us at 803-799-9084. Find more resources on race, equity, and inclusion, here.
Freedom Soup.
Published in 2019
The shake-shake of maracas vibrates down to my toes. Ti Gran's feet tap-tap to the rhythm. Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the New Year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup-Freedom Soup-just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle's family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle's family is from. In this celebration of cultural traditions passed from one generation to the next, Belle's story and the story of the Haitian Revolution are brought to life. Tami Charles's lyrical text, as accessible as it is sensory, makes for a tale that everyone will enjoy to the last drop.
Freedom Soup (read Along.
Published in 2019
The shake-shake of maracas vibrates down to my toes. Ti Gran's feet tap-tap to the rhythm. Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the New Year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup-Freedom Soup-just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle's family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle's family is from. In this celebration of cultural traditions passed from one generation to the next, Belle's story and the story of the Haitian Revolution are brought to life. Tami Charles's lyrical text, as accessible as it is sensory, makes for a tale that everyone will enjoy to the last drop.
Baby Goes to Market
Published in 2019
"Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers."--Publisher's description.
Baby Goes to Market
Published in 2017
Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers.
Freedom Soup
Published in 2019
"Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the new year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup -- Freedom Soup -- just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle's family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle's family is from."-- Publisher's description.
Dumpling Dreams
How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge
Published in 2017
"The story of how Joyce Chen, a girl born in Communist China, immigrated to the United States and popularized Chinese cooking."-- Provided by publisher.
Max Makes a Cake
Published in 2014
Max finds the perfect way to make a unique Passover surprise birthday cake for his mother.
Rainbow Stew
Published in 2013
"On a rainy summer day, three children and their grandpa pick vegetables in his garden and then cook and share a delicious meal of his famous Rainbow Stew. Includes recipe"-- Provided by publisher.
A Place at the Table
Published in 2020
Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers' struggles to become United States citizens.
Princess and the Peas
Published in 2017
In this version of the classic story, Ma Sally of Charleston County, South Carolina, devises a contest for her son's admirers: cook up a dish of black-eyed peas that meets her exacting standards, and the winner can marry her son. Includes recipe for Princess' black-eyed peas.
Saffron Ice Cream
Published in 2018
Rashin is an Iranian immigrant girl living in New York, excited by her first trip to Coney Island, and fascinated by the differences in the beach customs between her native Iran and her new home--but she misses the saffron flavored ice cream that she used to eat.
No Kimchi for Me
Published in 2017
"Yoomi hates stinky spicy kimchi--until Grandma makes kimchi pancakes for her!"-- Provided by publisher.
Measuring Up
Published in 2020
Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food.
The Bagel King
Published in 2018
"Every Sunday in winter, spring, summer and fall - through snow, rain, heat and gloom - Zaida delivers bagels to his neighbors and to his grandson, Eli. Warm, chewy, salty bagels. But their Sunday tradition comes to a halt when a slip on some schmaltz leaves Zaida flat on his touches and bedridden - and bagel-less! Who will bring the bagels if Zaida's not well in time for next Sunday's delivery? Told with a schmear of love and baked with humor, The Bagel King celebrates family tradition and the special bond between grandparent and grandchild."-- Provided by publisher.
Dumpling Days
Published in 2012
When Pacy, her two sisters, and their parents go to Taiwan to celebrate Grandma's sixtieth birthday, the girls learn a great deal about their heritage.
The Ugly Vegetables.
Published in 1999
It's easy to appreciate a garden exploding with colorful flowers and fragrances, but what do you do with a patch of ugly vegetables? Author/illustrator Grace Lin recalls such a garden in this charming and eloquent story. The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting to the young gardener than the garden of "black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers" that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that "these are better than flowers." Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known. As the neighborhood comes together to share flowers and ugly vegetable soup, the young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Published in 2018
Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cookie and, despite Mama's request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.
Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic
Published in 2012
"A Chinese American girl's Auntie Yang discovers soybeans-a favorite Chinese food-growing in Illinois, leading her family to a soybean picnic tradition that grows into an annual community event. Includes author's note and glossary"--Provided by publisher.
Fry Bread
A Native American Family Story
Published in 2019
Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognized tribes.
Pancakes to Parathas
Breakfast Around the World
Published in 2019
Breakfast varies from country to country, but it's how all children begin their day. Explore the meals of twelve countries in this playful approach to the world! From Australia to India to the USA, come travel around the world at dawn. Children everywhere are waking up to breakfast. In Japan, students eat soured soybeans called natto. In Brazil, even kids drink coffee--with lots of milk! With rhythm and rhymes and bold, graphic art, Pancakes to Parathas invites young readers to explore the world through the most important meal of the day.
Grandpa Grumps
Published in 2020
When Daisy's grandfather, Yeh-Yeh, visits from China, she does everything she can think of to make him smile and finally finds a way. Includes glossary of Chinese words and recipe for fried rice.
Thank You, Omu!
Published in 2019
A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book Winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award In this remarkable author-illustrator debut that's perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Extra Yarn , a generous woman is rewarded by her community. Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself? Debut author-illustrator Oge Mora brings to life a heartwarming story of sharing and community in colorful cut-paper designs as luscious as Omu's stew, with an extra serving of love. An author's note explains that "Omu" (pronounced AH-moo) means "queen" in the Igbo language of her parents, but growing up, she used it to mean "Grandma." This book was inspired by the strong female role models in Oge Mora's life.
Thank You, Omu!
Published in 2017
When the aroma of Omu's homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit.
Bee-bim Bop!
Published in 2005
A child, eager for a favorite meal, helps with the shopping, food preparation, and table setting.
Bee-bim Bop!
Published in 2005
A child, eager for a favorite meal, helps with the shopping, food preparation, and table setting.
Bilal Cooks Daal
Published in 2019
Bilal and his father invite his friends to help make his favorite dish, daal, then all must wait patiently for it to be done.
Too Many Tamales
Published in 1993
Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.
Too Many Tamales
Published in 2002
Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when, hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.
What Can You Do with a Paleta?
Published in 2009
A young Mexican American girl celebrates the paleta, an icy fruit popsicle, and the many roles it plays in her lively barrio.
Stef Soto, Taco Queen
Published in 2019
A heartwarming and charming debut novel about family, friends, and finding your voice all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. Seventh grader Estefania "Stef" Soto is itching to shake off the onion-and-cilantro embrace of Tia Perla, her family's taco truck. She wants nothing more than for her dad to get a normal job and for Tia Perla to be put out to pasture. It's no fun being known as the "Taco Queen" at school. But just when new city regulations are proposed, and her family's livelihood is threatened, she will have to become the truck's unlikely champion.
Stef Soto, Taco Queen
Published in 2017
"Mexican-American Stef Soto is hoping to break free from her overprotective parents and embarrassing reputation from her family's taco truck business, but she soon learns that family, friendship, and the taco truck are important and wonderful parts of her life"-- Provided by publisher.
The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred
Published in 2011
A cumulative tale of a farm maiden who, aided by a group of animals, prepares "Arroz con Leche," or rice pudding. Includes recipe and glossary of the Spanish words that are woven throughout the text.
Apple Pie 4th of July
Published in 2002
A Chinese American child fears that the food her parents are preparing to sell on the Fourth of July will not be eaten.
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao
Published in 2019
Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly.
Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji
Published in 2011
Aneel and his grandfather, Dada-ji, tell stories, use their imaginations, and make delicious roti, a traditional Indian flatbread.