Julia, Child

Julia, Chlild

By Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (illustrations)

Published on July 8, 2014
Published by Tundra Books
Source: NetGalley

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up, and mastering the art of having a good time, "Julia, Child" is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child - a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter

This is a really charming picture book by the author of Spork, which I read several years ago and found both hilarious and important reading for children.

Like Spork, Julia, Child carries an important message below the surface. When Julia and Simca decide to create a feast for growing and staying young, then never expected what would happen when the grownups let go and had a little fun. This is the kind of picture book that I feel is mostly for adults; it reminds us that we're never too old to have a little fun, but that all fun, like all food, is best served in moderation.

The illustrations are very French, cute and charming, and would appeal to little girls and grown-up "girls" alike. Although this book is loosely based on Julia Child's life, the young character of Julie bares a striking resemblance to the real Julia Child. Just another reason why I enjoyed this book as a grownup.

My only beef is that the e-galley I received was very hard to read due to the formatting. I had to flip back and forth between pages to read scrambled lines and put together sentences. So, there's my warning to all of you who may have received the e-galley to review.

Overall, cute and charming, but probably adults will appreciate this gem more than children.