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Summary
Summary
Sallie is getting married. Her younger sister visits the neighbors in her apartment building to share the news and she helps each make his or her contribution to the wedding banquet. Each dish represents a different culture and tradition and which are described in a glossary at the back of the book. The repetitive language and detailed illustrations will endear the book to younger children especially. The story is a wonderful addition to any study of cultures and differences among the people of the world.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2A sweet and joyful twist on weddings occurs when two people in the same apartment building decide to marry, and the other tenants want to make everything perfect by bringing their favorite festive delicacies. The bride's little sister goes from one apartment to another, dons an apron, and helps prepare luscious ethnic foods such as dolmades, challah, tamales, tai shio-yaki, and biscotti made by the diverse families who participate in the celebration. The lively text is attractively set on double-page spreads of winning watercolors suffused with warm, appealing colors and depicting the characters with charm and distinction.Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A wedding just isn't a wedding without lots of good food to eat. So when Sallie announces that she's getting married, each of the neighbors in her apartment building prepares a traditional wedding delicacy in her honor. The narrator, Sallie's younger sister, travels from apartment to apartment, watching and helping as Mrs. Haru makes tai shio-yaki (a Japanese fish dish), Mr. Gonzales prepares his tamales, Signora Theodora bakes her biscotti, etc. On the big day, the wedding table is set with a fabulous multiethnic feast. Debut author Cox cleverly combines the meanings of the terms "melting pot" and "pot luck." (A similar story can be found in Sylvia Rosa-Casanova and Robert Roth's Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice.) The sturdy pacing builds on judicious repetition. The down-to-earth dialogue, meanwhile, defuses the threat of ethnic stereotyping by playing up what the characters have in common: their pleasure in preparing for a wedding and in sharing their traditions. Similarly, DiSalvo-Ryan's (City Green; Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen) breezy watercolors emphasize joyful characters and homey kitchen settings. The cozily crowded spreads, generously sprinkled with culinary equipment and foodstuffs, generate a mood of informal hospitality, just like the story. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
My sister Sallie is getting married, each page begins, as the young narrator describes the preparations for the wedding. She helps each of the guests prepare special food native to his or her country. Challah, tamales, biscotti, and, of course, a wedding cake are a few of the treats prepared. Cheerful watercolors outlined in soft gray express the participants' joy. A glossary further describes the ethnic dishes. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Perhaps only in New York City could a small girl go from one apartment to another in her building, helping friends of all nationalities prepare special foods for her sister Sallie's wedding. The delighted girl makes dolmades with her Greek papa, tamales with the groom's father, steamed cakes with Mr. Chen in 5B, biscotti with Señora Theodora in 2C, and so on. Thus, the tradition behind and significance of every delicacy is described in a childlike and joyful manner. The foods--including some Japanese fish of happiness and Chinese honey-harmonizing-with-oil buns--provide a mini-tour of world cultures. There are homey, familiar scenes of cooking in a variety of kitchens; the warm watercolor paintings contrast real-life domesticity with the exhilaration of the pending nuptials. (Picture book. 4-7)
Booklist Review
Ages 4^-7. As the narrator informs readers, "My sister Sallie is getting married!" She's marrying Roberto Gonzales from Apartment 4B; everyone in the building is invited, and everyone is bringing food. Each double-page spread that follows shows Sallie's sister as she travels with her good news from apartment to apartment and helps each of the neighbors prepare a special dish for the wedding. In Apartment 3A, she and Mr. Gold make challah; in 4C, she and Mrs. Haru prepare tai shio-yaki, the "fish of happiness." A note at the back gives additional information about the dishes that appear in the story: tamales, French wedding cake, dolmades, and more. Illustrating all the delicious fun are pictures that capture both the energy of the wedding preparations and the excitement of the wedding itself (though even at the ceremony, the focus is on food, not the bride and groom). Without being didactic, the book is a showcase for ethnic diversity through gastronomy. --Ilene Cooper
