Bon Appetit!

Julia Child would have been 100 years old last week. Two recent picture books have celebrated her life and work: Minette's Feast: A Delicious Story about Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich and Bon Appetit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland. Though I do not think stories and lives are delicious, I do find it interesting that both books share that word in their subtitles. The first presents a more abbreviated version of her life and career, centered mostly around the cat she adopted while living in Paris. The second is more comprehensive, but the present tense verb choice and busy pages might be distracting for readers. Each book concludes with a bit of dessert: additional resources and facts about the famous chef.  For young readers and would-be chefs, the details about her life might motivate visits to Julia Child's cookbooks.

My good friend Julie prepared this beautiful salad for me!