Our Little Kitchen: A Picture Book

Our Little Kitchen is a lively celebration of food and community from Caldecott honoree Jillian Tamaki. This rousing picture book tells the story of a crew of resourceful neighbors who come together to prepare a meal for their community.

Eisner Award Winner for Best Publication for Early Readers

"Visually brilliant. . . . Convey[s] the power of thrift, collective action, and community-building." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Tie on your apron! Roll up your sleeves! Pans are out, oven is hot, the kitchen's all ready! Where do we start?

With a garden abundant with produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen, and a friendly meal shared at the table, Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and looking out for one another.

You can almost smell the veggies on the stove! Ingredients and steps for making vegetable soup precede a swirl of steam that leads into an introduction to a small community kitchen. Here a diverse group of friends, family, and neighbors unite to prep the meal with "what we've got, what we've grown, what we've kept, been given, and bought!"

The group prepares soup, chili, apple crumble, salad, warm bread, and more. The sounds of the kitchen "sizzle, chop, glug, slice, peel, trim, toss, splash, squish." Helpers serve as neighbors wait and anticipate the joy of sharing in a time of need.

The book's bright, full-color illustrations, speech bubbles, simple words, varying perspectives, and exciting action encourage young readers to jump from page to page.

Bonus materials include recipes and an author's note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book.

Author: Jillian Tamaki
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 09/22/2020
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 8.30h x 10.60w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781419746550
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 2
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 510721 / Our Little Kitchen


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 07/01/2020 pg. 74
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2020
Publishers Weekly 07/20/2020
School Library Journal 09/01/2020 pg. 70
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2020 pg. 84
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Jillian Tamaki is an illustrator, author, and comics artist living in Toronto, Ontario. She is the cocreator, with her cousin Mariko Tamaki, of the young adult graphic novel This One Summer, which won a Caldecott Honor in 2015. She makes books and comics for people of all ages, including They Say Blue, a picture book about looking and thinking.