Fanny in France: Travel Adventures of a Chef’s Daughter, with Recipes

As she did in 1992’s Fanny at Chez Panisse, also illustrated by Arnold, renowned chef Waters writes in the ingenuous voice of her (now adult) daughter in a combination gastronomic travelogue and cookbook. A nine-year-old student at a French school in California, Fanny peppers her anecdotal narrative with French phrases as she describes meals that she and her parents shared while visiting various friends in France. Their tables are laden with freshly baked bread, wine made from the bounty of nearby vineyards, just-caught fish, and homegrown olives and produce. Fanny eagerly pitches in, helping gather oysters in a Bordeaux bay, bake bread in an outdoor oven in Corsica, and milk sheep in the Pyrenees before making cheese. Many of the foods described reappear in the 41 recipes that make up the second half of the book, which range from accessibly simple (roasted almonds with sage, vinaigrette) to sophisticated and complex (bouillabaisse). Arnold’s airy, sun-drenched paintings intensify the warmth of this celebration of family, friends, and food, best for young readers with an established interest in cooking and French culture. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)