Title: The Redwall Cookbook Author: Brian Jacques Illustrator: Christopher Denise Publisher: Philomel Books, a division of the Penguin Young Readers Group : New York Copyright: 2005 Recommended Age Range: 10+ Formats: Paperback (104 Pages) Available from: Amazon, Walmart, Barnes&Nobel, Books-a-Million, Indiebound and anywhere else children's books are sold Critical Score: 4/5 Storyteller Score: 2/5 |
Official Summary: Ever read a Redwall novel and wonder exactly what Abbot’s Special Abbey Trifle is? Or how to make Shrimp ’N Hotroot Soup, that delicacy of otters everywhere? Or Mole’s Favourite Turnip and Tater Deeper ’N Ever Pie? From the simple refreshment of Summer Strawberry Fizz to Great Hall Gooseberry Fool, they’re all here, along with dozens of other favorites sure to turn young hands into seasoned chefs, illustrated in full color with all the charm and magic that is Redwall. A gift like no other for fans of the series, old or new. Review: A quality example of what a children's cookbook should be like, The Redwall Cookbook functions perfectly as both a new addition to the Redwall canon and an instructional cookbook. Following a loose but appropriate storyline of a new character, Sister Pansy, we are given a glimpse at the various eats and treats that have always played an important role in the Redwall franchise. Through the eyes of Sister Pansy, the established Redwall kitchen staff, and local ladies of the Abbey, we are given the stories and recipes for all the various foods that would be seen at four of Redwall Abbey's seasonal feasts. Starting with the season of beginnings, Spring, we are introduced to Sister Pansy as she assists the longstanding head chef of Redwall, Friar Hugo, with the prepwork for The Springtide Sunfeast. As they prep more and more courses for the feast, we are introduced to more and more of the Abbey's prominent figures and the foods they have to bring to the feast. From Skipper and Foremole to Lady Cornflower and Constance Badgermum, all of the series beloved critters get a moment in the sun at one point or another throughout the story and most have something to offer one of the four celebrations. Along with the steady accumulation of named characters from the series, though, each new feast exists to offer this book's original character more and more experience as a chef. With each new feast under her belt, Sister Pansy steadily progresses toward the overall goal becoming Friar Hugo's successor, now that he's nearing retirement. By this point, of course, there is little doubt that she's up for the task since she has, unbeknownst to her, been slowly fed more and more responsibilities within the kitchen and learning all the lessons necessary to succeed as head chef. For example, one of the most important lessons Pansy learns is the simple knowledge of who she will be cooking for, what they like, and what they might have to add to her own collection of recipes. Like a proper church community, there's an understanding that each member of the Abbey has their own specialty to offer during these various celebrations and potlucks. So, as each character makes their appearance and offers something for the communal table, we learn the dish's recipe at the same time as Pansy through the age-old tradition of swapping recipes. By story's end, we see Pansy offering to share her own recipes with her mentor as she is given full control over planning and creating the feast for the book's final celebration, the Wintersnow Ball. Though it should go without saying that this loose and relatively contrived story cannot hold a candle to the stories of the main Redwall series, this book does a fair job using the characters and setting of the Redwall universe to craft a product far more fun and engaging than a standardized cookbook--filled with nothing but instructional recipes. With each recipe, there is a story to tell and some laughs to be had, as is the case with actual homemade/traditional dishes, and this book manages to blend these two aspects--narrative and recipe--in a nearly seamless manner. The book's colorful illustrations pair with the tone and portrayal of the characters so perfectly that its not hard to image each scene coming to life. More than that, though, the light and colorful pastels used for each picture create the sense of peace and relaxation that all the residents of Redwall Abby must be feeling in these snapshot moments. There are no battles; no conflicts loom in the distance here like they do in most of the Redwall stories. For this story, the cast is given the time to just be their fun, playful selves and Christopher Denise's light and fluffy illustrations do wonders to express that understanding. Of course, that same kind of peaceful tone can be seen in Jacques' own writing as well, as each seasonal story begins with a poem that revels in the delights each season has to offer the Abbey's numerous rodent residents. Now, as for the recipes this story has to offer, there is little to say beyond that they feel appropriate for the Redwall universe. On top of cheery and humorous names for the dishes like "Mossflower Mulled Cider," "Bellringer's Reward," and "Mole's Favorite Deeper'n'Ever Turnip'n'Tater'n'Beetroot Pie," all the recipes present have a distinctly provincial feel to them that perfectly fits the established aestetic of Redwall Abbey and its surrounding woodlands, swamps, and prairies. Bread, cheese, fruits, and vegetables abound in these recipes in a manner you'd expect from a community of mice, rabbits, hedgehogs, and moles. While I doubt it was necessarily Jacques' intention to do so, The Redwall Cookbook actually serves as a half-decent vegetarian cookbook thanks to his attention to detail regarding the characters' various diets. The one exception to this vegetarian theme is a shrimp dish meant exclusively for characters like Skipper and other the members of the various otter tribes that frequent the Abbey. So, barring this one recipe, this book might prove to be particularly valuable to some families. For any book-loving, vegetarian families out there, I'm sure this book would be a treasure to keep on shelf with all the other home recipes and and cookbooks such a family might be inclined to buy. Yet, as I've said already, this book serves as a decent story as well. While I wouldn't recommend it for a storytime or group program, I can see a lot of uses for this book in a family setting. The mere thought of a family picking up and putting this down over the course of a year, trying out each recipe with their little kids in time with each season fills me with the same wholesome cheer the book's story is determined to offer. All too easily, a family could build a tradition of reading an excerpt of this book's story before trying out the recipe on the next page. Alternatively, a whole celebration could be built around making one of the same feasts seen in the book for and reading that quarter of the book before, during, or after the cooking is done, thus giving the kids a far deeper connection to the Redwall family as well as their actual family. Either way, it is clear that there are some uses for this book's story, albeit unconventional ones, that could bring it to life in a way no other work could. I suppose I should note, however, that I do have one niggling complaint to level against this book. While it is generally apparent that this is the kind of book and story that would be perfect for kids, middle-graders especially, there is an unfortunate lack of "Child/Dibbun friendly" recipes present in this book. In fact, there are only two recipes in the entire book that are labeled as being simple enough for a child to do without adult supervision. Both of these recipes are drink recipes that play at being alcohols brewed by Ambrose Spike--an association that I and others might find ill-advised for children. While it might be appropriate for the Redwall adults to indulge in ales and ciders and other such beverages, claiming that these drinks are appropriate for children to make, regardless of whether or not they are non-alcoholic, can be seen as problematic. I think it would have been a far better to include at least a couple "Dibbun friendly" snack recipes or no-bake dishes for each feast to give kids something to do on their own. Regardless of whether the drinks are appropriate or not, this book would have been better served to offer more kid-friendly dishes that kids and parents alike would appreciate. That way you give kids the opportunity to grow into these recipes or, at the very least, give them something they can proudly claim as something they did all by themselves. Still, this is a fairly minor complaint when considering how much this book does offer. On the whole, I think The Redwall Cookbook succeeded in its efforts to make the Jacques' world that much more fun and engaging for its readers. As I've pointed out already, the narrative and instructional texts along with the book's bright and colorful illustrations do wonders to set a tone and bring the story to life. What these things also do, though, is create a work that can be appreciated by both old fans of the series and brand new initiates to the world of Redwall. It's obviously a delight to see these characters having fun and playing around when their lives aren't at stake, but the story manages to effectively introduce us to the series' numerous characters in such a way that we are given a general understanding of how they function without giving any of their history away. In other words, this book serves as both a perfect addition/companion to the main series and a great introduction for anyone new to the franchise. It's all-around a fantastic work in its own right that I cannot recommend enough. The only problem is that I can't decide if it belongs with the rest of my cookbooks or with my collection of Redwall stories.
1 Comment
Brittany Vanzo
10/28/2018 08:33:46 am
As a kid, I l o v e d the Redwall series. I'm pretty sure I read most, if not all, of the books in this series during middle school. I don't think my library ever had this book, though. That, or I left middle school before this could be added. I think this book is something that kid-me would have loved to have owned, to expand the world that I had such joy falling into. I thought your note about the recipes not necessarily being child-friendly was a good and important one to make.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorGreetings! My name is Joseph Lutholtz and this is my book review blog. ArchivesCategories
All
|