In her introduction to Julia, Child (Tundra, July), author Kyo Maclear notes that her story “should be taken with a grain of salt and perhaps even a generous pat of butter.” Rather than a true biographical account of the childhood of the beloved TV personality and author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this picture book aims to capture Julia Child’s energy and spirit through the story of two young friends who share a love of cooking.
“The seed for this book was sown long ago in a fancy French patisserie shop in Toronto,” explains Maclear. “I worked there as a girl of 15 and have never forgotten the feeling of being around artfully-made pastry (and dashingly handsome waitstaff). My employer, a Parisian woman named Nadine, imparted instruction and philosophy over delicate tarts and gâteau opéra. That formative experience led to a love of French food, which (naturally) led to a love of Julia Child’s iconic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which (eventually) led me to want to bottle up Julia Child’s irrepressible spirit in a picture book for all ages. Why? Simply because: if you should want to cook a happy well-nourished life, there is no one better than Julia to tell and show you how.”
Here, we present a trio of images from the book, illustrated by Julie Morstad, whose previous books for children include When You Were Small, Singing Away the Dark, and How To.
Excerpted from Julia, Child by Kyo Maclear. Copyright © 2014 Kyo Maclear. Illustrations © Julie Morstad. Excerpted by permission of Tundra Books, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd. a Penguin Random House company. All rights reserved.
Julia, Child by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Julie Morstad. Tundra, July. ISBN 978-1-77049-449-7
