Minette's Feast: The delicious story of Julia Child and her cat (ages 4 - 8)

Here's something not many people know: when I was young, I used to tell my favorite cat all my secrets and troubles because I knew that he would never tell anyone else. You see, cats are wonderful companions - as many children know. Susanna Reich brings readers into the world of Julia Child's years in Paris through the eyes of her cat, Minette. It is a book that children will relate to, loving it as a cat story and learning about Julia Child at the same time.

Minette's Feast
The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat
by Susanna Reich
illustrated by Amy Bates
NY: Abrams, 2012
ages 4 - 8
available at your local library, favorite bookstore and at Amazon

Minette is indeed a lucky little tabby cat. Living in Paris, charmed her way into the hearts of Julia and Paul Child. As Julia exclaimed,

"Une maison sans chat, c'est la vie sans soleil!"
"A house without a cat is like life without sunshine!"
          - Julia Child, from My Life in France

And so Minette joins Julia and Paul, taking long naps, enjoying soft laps and especially finding special treats to eat. "How delightful the crunch of fresh-caught mouse, devoured on the living room rug!" As Julia takes cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, the famous French cooking school, Minette perfects her hunting skills.

Minette will delight young children with the way she pounces, jumps and rolls around the Child's home, with the way she waits patiently as Julia cooks special meals. Susanna Reich shares the story of Julia Child in a way that both provides interesting information and a way into the story for children. All of the quotes in the story are drawn from Julia Child's writing and correspondence. Amy Bates' watercolor and pencil illustrations capture Minette's warmth and playfulness perfectly. Head over to Amy Bates' website to see more of her artwork from this story.

I am excited to join many friends celebrating the publication of this lovely story, with a blog tour. Here are some of the other stops:

• Great Kid Books: guest post by Susanna on reading with your children (coming on Sunday)
• Original Content: review & discussion of creative nonfiction
• Booktalking: interview with Susanna Reich
• Books Together: interview with Amy Bates
• Tales from the Rushmore Kid: interview with Susanna's cat
• The Fourth Musketeer: interview with Susanna
• Shelf Employed: interview with Abrams art director Chad Bekerman (coming this Monday)
• Readerkidz: "Dear Reader" guest post by Susanna (coming this Tuesday)

The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers, Abrams Books. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2012 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books