Review: Delicious! Poems Celebrating Street Food Around the World by Julie Larios

Today's review continues the dive into National Poetry Month, but this time, we're heading into the world of food. I mean, who doesn't like to eat? In these pages, the reader travels the globe...from one country to the next...and discovers all of the amazing, surprising, delicious, and odd sounding foods offered as snacks and treats. The poetry adds just the right amount of fun...and the illustrations...well, they are lively. 

And as a last, quick warning:  reading further might just make you hungry.

DELICIOUS!

Poems Celebrating Street Food Around the World

by Julie Larios

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Beach Lane Books

Picture Book

32 pages 

ages 4 to 8

Journey around the world with this poetry collection celebrating delicious international street food!

The world is a delicious place! Come along on an international journey to try a hot pretzel in New York City; saffron tea in Mumbai, India; deep fried scorpions in Beijing, China; and much, much more.

This poetry collection celebrates all the different kinds of street food from around the globe, introducing young readers to snacks they know and ones they’ve never heard of—showing that no matter where we live, we all appreciate a yummy treat!

GOODREADS   /     B&N    /    AMAZON    /    BOOK DEPOSITORY  

BOOK BLINK

                                           * brightly illustrated

                                           * covers foods from all over the world

                                           * more information at end of book

                                           * many short, easy-to-read poems

MY TIDBITS

Vibrant and lyrical, this is a celebration of food, which hits taste buds from all corners of the globe.

Snacking is a world-wide, favorite past time, but food varies greatly from one culture to the next. This book takes a look at some well-known foods but mostly at lesser known ones, which kids around the world enjoy. Everything from fried scorpions to hotdogs, it's a vast array of tastes and treats.

Each two-page spread covers a country and food, which might be found at street vendors. The illustration shows children of that country getting their favorite treats from various sellers, and these scenes are surrounded by a colorful, busy, and artistic frame. It's bright and colorful and radiates a joyful atmosphere. The food items are shown, but these are small and only a little part of the overall images. 

A short poem accompanies each of these scenes. The few lines make for an easy read, while keeping the food of each culture at the center of attention. Young listeners won't recognize all of the dishes, and that's half of the fun. For those seeking more information, there's a short summary of each country and the mentioned food at the end of the book.  There are some very unexpected morsels, and some listeners are sure to have heard of themselves. It opens up curiosity and will have kids wondering what each one tastes like...and maybe, wanting to try some themselves.

And here they are...

The Author...

Julie Larios taught for seven years on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts in their MFA in writing for children program before turning full-time to her writing. Her work has earned her a Pushcart Prize, a Washington State Artist Trust Fellowship Award, and two inclusions in the annual Best American Poetry series for her poetry for adults. She has published four books of poetry for children.

The Illustrator...

Julie Paschkis is a painter, textile designer, and award-winning illustrator and author of many books for children, including Vivid: Poems and Notes about Color; Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown, an Américas Award winner and an Orbis Pictus Honor book; Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams by Janet S. Wong, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman; and Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary by Julie Larios, a Boston Globe–Horn Award Honor Book. She lives in Seattle with her husband. Visit her at JuliePaschkis.com.