Soul Food Sunday
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Granny teaches her grandson to cook the family meal in author Winsome Bingham and illustrator C. G. Esperanza’s picture book Soul Food Sunday, a loving celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table.
A 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book
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.
“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.” —Booklist (Starred Review)
“This nourishing story will gratify soul food aficionados, as well as anyone who’s experienced how bonds strengthen through food and traditions.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
