Because of Thursday
With Audio Recording
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From critically acclaimed author Patricia Polacco comes a heartwarming story about a girl named Annie, her lucky Thursdays, and a special cat who comes into her life just in time to make everything right.
Thursdays have always been lucky for Annie Fetlock. She was born on a Thursday. She won her first cooking contest at the age of eight on a Thursday. She met the love of her life, Mario, on a Thursday. They were married on a bright Thursday afternoon and their two children were both born on a Thursday. Annie is known far and wide for her Poke Pasta Salad and has the most popular restaurant for miles around.
When Mario suddenly passes away, Annie’s joy and love of cooking disappears. Before too long, a little kitty appears and Annie takes the kitty in, and, of course, calls it Thursday. Annie is back making Poke Salad in no time. Thursday the cat is known for amazing twirls and tricks and one day his twirls land him in Annie’s draining rigatoni, causing the pot of hot oil, garlic, and peppers to spill into the pasta! Then the entire container of Parmesan cheese overturned into the mix. The customers were horrified until they noticed that what looked like a big mess had the most amazing aroma and turned out to be the most delicious pasta dish ever created! Ugly Pasta—the dish that would make Annie famous for miles around—was born. And of course it was a Thursday!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Polacco (The Keeping Quilt) returns with a scattered story of longtime loves and new beginnings. Good things always come to Annie on Thursdays; it was on that day that she met her husband, gave birth to her sons, and opened a diner renowned for its Poke Salad ("the more you poked at it, the more scrumptious, succulent, delectable surprises you'd find"). Polacco's fluid illustrations affectingly evoke the passage of time as Annie ages and sinks into sadness after her husband dies, until on a Thursday a kitten appears on her porch. Named Thursday, the energetic cat reignites Annie's passion for cooking, and she reopens her restaurant. Thursday entertains diners with his acrobatics until a miscalculated leap sends ingredients flying into a pasta pot, creating "an oily, garlicky mess" that becomes a culinary rage thanks to a visit from a Guy Fieri look-alike. This odd tale concludes with a pile-on of too-good-to-be-true events and a recipe for Annie's "Ugly Pasta." Polacco describes it as "unforgettable," which seems likely given that it calls for a cup of red pepper flakes and four cups of chopped garlic per pound of pasta. Ages 4 8.