Nonfiction (not a memoir)
Yummy: A History of Desserts
by Victoria Grace Elliot
Random House Graphic (2021), 240 pages
2021

The art is simply magical in this book. I think the art draws people not interested in cooking ordinary into the novel. This book makes learning about desert history fun, almost a adventure and I love the legends that it shares along with unusual facts. The author takes a topic I would never think I'd like and makes it interesting. ( )

Elliott breaks down the history of desserts into bite-sized (hehe) factoids and narratives. Illustrations are cute and super colorful!

Could be great for kids who love the How Things Work series, as well as foodie kids or kids looking for cookbooks/baking books. ( )

This is a fun (and often funny) look at the history of desserts. While the book is aimed at kids, there's a lot of information here which adults probably don't know, too. (I sure didn't know most of what was in this book.) The art style is cute, and—even though I didn't try any—I appreciated the inclusion of recipes in the book. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-8

Plot Summary:
Three sprites tell the story of each of the following desserts through the use of storytime, TV guest stars, and narration.
Ice Cream
Cake
Brownies
Donuts
Pies
Gummies
Cookies
Macarons

Setting: covers every part of the world

Characters:
3 sprites tell the story: one narrator, one storyteller, and one who appears as a variety of guests on a TV interview show

Recurring Themes: history, social studies, trading, movement of goods and services, food, class, rich vs. poor

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: Although written as a graphic novel, this book could be slow because of the lack of action, the difficult vocabulary, and the amount of background information that needs to be shared to understand the history of dessert. Overall, it was done well, but I think this book is for junior high.

Genre: non-fiction graphic novel

Pacing: slow, even though it's a graphic novel, lots of advanced vocabulary, and some spreads had more text than many other graphic novels
Characters: lots of historical figures
Frame: lots of historical information shared to understand the history
Storyline:

Activity: Use certain chapters to help explain certain social studies concepts such as trading, movement of goods and services, and class. ( )

“The desserts we enjoy aren’t ‘silver linings’ to the brutal horrors of slavery and colonization. Rather, to appreciate desserts in all their forms, we need to acknowledge the real history and people behind them.”

Very cute and informative! Managed to be engaging and I love that the book is internationally-minded with a focus of desserts from all over the world. I also think it was stellar idea to include the dessert history, little skits, science, and recipes in the same book to keep everything engaging.

If you're curious, my favorite sweets are pound cake, especially lemony ones, sweet potato pie, cheesecake, custard, and soft chocolate chip cookies. c: ( )