The Little Chefs
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
For anyone who’s tried to whip up something special for someone they love, and stumbled—here is the book for you. Not since her classic Voyage to the Bunny Planet, has Rosemary Wells created such a heartstopper.
A splendid volume of three stories in one darling-sized book in a beautiful package from the beloved creator of Max and Ruby.
"Every kitchen has one.
Location quite unknown
In an unused cupboard,
Hides a little phone."
Almost everyone, young and old, likes to try their hand in the kitchen. But oh my! Disasters can happen to anyone (and we like to keep them quiet). What to do when everything falls apart?
Well, just call the Little Chefs! They’ll put everything to rights in a jiffy. And everyone will give you yards of credit.The Little Chefs will never tell!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hidden in every kitchen, Wells (On the Night Before Kindergarten) promises in this charming three-tale collection, is a wall-concealed telephone that can summon a team of "small and clever" toque-wearing human chefs, portrayed with various skin tones, to rescue cooks in need of help. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations first depict Sylvie the kitten, flummoxed by feast preparations for her mother; then rodent Leo, whose French toast with raspberry meringue is a hot mess; and finally Oscar the bunny, whose birthday cake tastes like "week-old fish sticks." Traveling to kitchen catastrophes via jet packs, a zeppelin, and a rocket, the diminutive chefs provide top-notch culinary skills as well as comfort, wiping tears, patting hands, and even talking Oscar "down from his pillar of grief." Unlike much cooking media, these stories don't wallow in angst or score points at the protagonists' expense. Instead, they admire each cook's aspirations and determination, while providing a dash of magic and a whisk of expertise. After all, "there's trouble in the world,/ in kitchens big and small./ Omelets burn in Memphis./ Sauces curdle in St. Paul." Inset boxes titled "Little Chefs in History" appear throughout. Ages 4–8.
