Soul Food Sunday

by Winsome Bingham (Author) C G Esperanza (Illustrator)

Soul Food Sunday
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Granny teaches her grandson to cook the family meal in this loving celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table

On Sundays, everyone gathers at Granny's for Soul Food. But today, I don't go to the backyard or the great room. I follow Granny instead. "You're a big boy now," Granny says. "Time for you to learn."

At Granny's, Sunday isn't Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to help cook the dishes for the first time: He joins Granny in grating the cheese, cleaning the greens, and priming the meat for Roscoe Ray's grill. But just when Granny says they're finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering--and the many more to come.

Evocatively written and vividly illustrated, this mouthwatering story is a warm celebration of tradition and coming together at a table filled with love and delicious food.

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Hardcover
$17.99

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Esperanza's vibrant illustrations are awash in saturated colors, photo-realistic facial expressions, and pronounced outlines, and they positively radiate this family's joy and love for one another...Food-related words and onomatopoeia are called out in large, colorful fonts, adding to the reading fun.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

In this abundantly satisfying picture book, a large Black family--"Mommas and Poppas, / aunts and uncles, / nieces, nephews, and a whole lot of cousins"--gathers for Soul Food Sunday every week at Granny's. Bingham nimbly sets the scene with age-appropriate observations and rich dialogue, describing how the family spreads through Granny's house before the child narrator takes a new route, following Granny into the kitchen: " 'You're a big boy now, ' Granny says. 'Time for you to learn.' " She lovingly explains the steps for preparing mac 'n' cheese, greens, and meat, then leaves the narrator to complete the steps ("Now when you're finished, come see me"). The child tires but perseveres, conveying a memorable refrain, "My hand hurt./ My arm aches./ But I don't quit," before adding one last surprise to the feast. Bright typography emphasizes rhythmic lines and onomatopoeia. Distinctive, mural-like paintings by Esperanza, done in vibrant-hued oils on masonite board, emphasize dynamic perspectives and angles, as well as, through close-ups of near-realistic expressions, the family's closeness. This nourishing story will gratify soul food aficionados, as well as anyone who's experienced how bonds strengthen through food and traditions. Back matter includes creators' notes plus a recipe for mac 'n' cheese. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--On Sundays everyone rolls up to Grandma's house for a soul food feast of chicken, ribs and sausage, greens, mac 'n' cheese, and sweet tea. Not so much a story as a slice of life, this vividly illustrated picture book welcomes readers into an extended family's warm weekly ritual. Roles are divided by gender and age: Men watch football (apart from Grill Chef Roscoe Ray), women gather in the kitchen to prepare the food and set the table, and the kids play. This Sunday there's a change, as the young male protagonist takes on the role of sous-chef to his grandmother, grating endless blocks of cheese for the baked macaroni, rinsing off the greens, prepping the raw meat for the grill, and finally making the pitcher of sweet iced tea all by himself. Esperanza's brightly realistic oil paintings echo the warmth and humor in this extended family, and tantalize readers with images of the delicious food on the table. Each member of this Black family is individually characterized with fabulous hairstyles (Grandma's cornrows are purple) and fantastic outfits that include Afrikan print aprons and elephant slippers. Readers will want to join this happy, hungry family and partake of this feast; Bingham allows for that by providing the recipe for a delicious cheesy dish as well as tips for cleaning the grit from the greens. VERDICT A book that invites readers into an extended family's moment in time, this welcoming title should be on any shelf addressing family life, celebrations, and food.--Jane Barrer, United Nations International Sch., New York

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes




Winsome Bingham
Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, master cook, US Army war and disabled veteran, and the author of one of the New York Times Best Books of the Year, Soul Food Sunday. She received both bachelor's and master's degrees in education and has more than 15 years of teaching experience. You can find her cooking up soul food or taking THE WALK to the polls with friends and family. She lives in Connecticut.
E.B. Lewis is the award-winning illustrator of numerous books for children, including Coming on Home Soon (a Caldecott Honor Book), Talkin' About Bessie (a Coretta Scott King Award winner), and The Bat Boy and His Violin (a Coretta Scott King Honor book). In 2003, the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota purchased a collection of original watercolors from Lewis's first 50 children's books. Today, his works are displayed in museums, owned by private collectors, and sold by art galleries throughout the United States and Europe. He lives in New Jersey.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781419747717
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date
November 16, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV050000 - Juvenile Fiction | Cooking & Food
Library of Congress categories
African Americans
Grandmothers
Family life
Cooking
JUVENILE FICTION / Cooking & Food
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / New Experi
African American cooking
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Honor Book 2022
ALSC Notable Children's Book
Selection 2022

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