Stephanie V.W. LucianovicRecensioni

COVID-19 has struck and Archie is struggling. He has asthma so he has to be really careful about not getting sick. He can't play with friends, he feels unseen during online classes, and his brother Hank doesn't want to hang out with him anymore. Archie feels like everyone is doing okay except him. Discovering a hummingbird in his yard leads to an interest in learning about the bird and installing hummingbird feeders. It's a welcome distraction that brings some comfort, but Archie soon realizes there are other kids who have been struggling like he has, including Hank. This depiction of covid focuses on its impact on mental health and the inner turmoil so many of us have endured.

Fun and quirky, this book is a good one for parents to share after the loss of a beloved pet. Even a pill bug. Because after all, someone sees it as a pet

This beautiful picture book isn't just about a child: the girl in the story learns that a supernova is a dying star and decides that she will be there with it for its final moments. This means the story takes us through her life, from school where she does her own research at the library and participates in class, to college where she studies stars, through jobs and training to be an astronomer and an astronaut. I can't say if her career trajectory is realistic, but it's unusual to see a character in a picture book grow from child to adult, from "girl" to "woman" in the narrative, with so much emphasis on hard work and persistence. The illustrations, especially of the final supernova, are gorgeous, and as a nice little addition, many of the background characters--like the main character--are people of color, including teachers and scientists. Maybe not realistic right now, but certainly more like the world ought to be.

Areg found this one for Alina and we can't wait to give it to her!

[P.S. Incoming: tons of reviews for picture books that we're planning to gift...but of course Aunt Sarah has to read them all first!]

Clever, kind story that is somewhat reality based.

The author was a picky eater growing up and wanted to look into why people hate the foods they hate. As an adult, she has managed to, not only overcome her food pickiness (for most things), but she has become a foodie. In this book, she describes information from scientists on taste, smell, and how other senses affect how people taste things; she was also able to visit a taste lab. Other chapters talk about moms dealing with their picky eater children, emotions and food, eating out, and relationships, among other things.

I found this quite interesting. I am not nearly as picky as many of the people she described in her book, but I’m not very good about trying new foods, and I have issues with various textures. She did talk about textures at one point, and we agree on one item: bananas! (I also hate bacon, and the smell, but surprising to me, apparently that’s one meat that is supposedly appealing to most people, including some vegetarians. Blech!) I found the science very interesting and I found myself annoyed with some of the people in the relationship chapter! She also included plenty of humour, as well as her own stories, and plenty of 80s and 90s references, which were fun.

There was some good information, but it was mostly the author trying to prove that she used to be a picky eater.

Former picky eater, and now foodie/chef Stephanie Lucianovic takes a humorous and in-depth look at why and how picky eaters are picky eaters. Part memoir, part science and part humor is how she makes her point that picky eaters aren’t just fussy, but have valid medical, psychological and physical reasons for their tastes and reactions to specific foods.

Read more at: http://thenovelworld.com/2013/10/19/weekend-cooking-suffering-succotash-by-steph...