Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Three Scoops and a Fig
Illustrator: Susan Kathleen Hartung
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Peachtree Publishers, 2010 ISBN: 978-1561455225
Sofia’s grandparents are coming over today, and Sofia’s father is cooking up a storm in the kitchen of his restaurant. Sofia is eager to help cook, but when she pushes the button of the blender (without putting the top on the machine) everything in the kitchen gets splattered with tomato sauce. Sofia’s father tells her that she is just too little to help.
Later Sofia smells bread baking, and when she goes into the kitchen, she sees that mama is putting some breadsticks into the oven. Once again, Sofia wants to help, and once again something goes terribly wrong. Then, when Sofia tries to help her brother make pizza, she manages to get her dough on the ceiling fan! Poor Sofia wants so much to contribute to the celebration. Is there anything that she do that won’t go horribly wrong?
In this simple yet warming picture book, the author celebrates the food traditions and close ties that family members share, and she shows young readers how their own creativity can make their wishes come true.
Kathleen Hartung’s expressive illustrations beautifully capture the close family ties that run like threads through the story.
