Review by Booklist Review
Fans of Colon's elegant artwork will be surprised and delighted to find that he has taken his pictures to a place of whimsy that will have immediate appeal for the youngest children. The vehicle for the art is a highly original one: a recipe for America, beginning with Preheat the world until fiery hot with a hunger and thirst to be free. Wilson's instructions then include pat out a crust of fruited plains, measure out meekness and might, spice with ideas seasoned with dreams, and place in God's grace and allow to rise. Some artists might have chosen a more reverential approach, but Colon goes a different way. His cooks are a cat and a dog, and in these watercolor-and-ink paintings, the action rolls across the spreads in all sorts of fantastical ways. Purple mountain majesties grow out of teacups, and the cooks pull rainbows out of a sky studded with stars and stripes. In one delightfully evocative picture, immigrants of many countries (including a Pilgrim) fall from the sky, suitcases in hand. They land in a safety net held by the cat and dog. Kudos to the book's designer, whose use of white space and typeface enhance every aspect of the book. Pair this wild, wonderful celebration with The Glorious American Songbook (2005), a tribute to the U.S. in song, and Robert Sabuda's America the Beautiful (2004), a pop-up book for a slightly older crowd. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wilson's (Bear Snores On) metaphorical tale serves up a stirring if sometimes syrupy recipe for American pie, "first ever made on the Fourth of July." The bakers, a toque-wearing dog and cat, first follow instructions to "Preheat the world until fiery hot with a hunger and thirst to be free," then place the steaming globe into "a giant melting pot on the shores of a great shining sea." Featuring type of varying size, the rhythmic rhymed verse draws from familiar songs and documents to deliver the creative culinary directives, among them: "Pat out a crust of fruited plains, then spread it as far as you dare. Fold in some fields of amber grains, enough for all people to share." Other items added to the increasingly full pot are "purple mountain majesties," "cupfuls of courage," "sweet freedom for all" and "secret ingredients" borrowed "from Heaven above. The key to it all is to pour in the pot plenty of faith, hope, and love." Col?n's (Roberto Clemente) inventive, etching-like ink and watercolor art contains more than a soupcon of surrealism and cleverly incorporates images of historical events, symbols and monuments. A crust rolled from "spacious skies" covers the expansive pie, which, when finally baked, is topped with images of the American flag and a handful of familiar landmarks. Deftly blended graphics and lyrics concoct a patriotic read-aloud to savor at any time of the year. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Wilson serves up a celebration of our country, its founders, and the immigrants who built it with this rhyming recipe. With frequent references to "America the Beautiful," the tribute includes tangible geographic ingredients such as "fruited plains," "fields/of amber grains," and "purple mountain majesties." Less-tangible fixings include meekness, might, courage, liberty, justice, freedom, dreams, forgiveness, and "customs/from faraway lands." As the bakers add these essentials, the larger-than-life pie rises in its cast-iron melting pot. While the rhymes are clever, they are also saccharine: "The secret ingredients/cannot be bought,/so borrow/from Heaven above./The key to it all/is to pour in the pot/plenty of/faith, hope, and love." Col-n's signature cross-hatched ink-and-watercolor illustrations, both sunny and whimsical, are the key ingredient in this otherwise syrupy dish. An amiable cat and dog sporting chefs' hats first "preheat the world"-a giant globe over a campfire-and then consult a cookbook, roasting wieners while they wait. A huge rolling pin flattens fields where giant apples, pears, and berries dwarf two grazing cows. Immigrants in period costume, suitcases and American flags in hand, free fall into a safety net guarded by the furry bakers. Observant readers will spy the strategically placed American symbols including the bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, White House, Mount Rushmore, and Columbus's ships. Kelly DiPucchio's Liberty's Journey (Hyperion, 2004), which features striking art by Richard Egielski, covers similar ground with less sentimentality. Use this title to introduce immigration units.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
American pie"" consists of ""fruited plains"" crust, ""cupfuls of courage"" filling, and ""ideas seasoned with dreams and customs from faraway lands."" The rhymed text is arrhythmic and hard to follow, made even more confusing by different type sizes. Crosshatched ink and watercolor illustrations feature a cat and dog in chef's hats traveling the country to gather ingredients. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
How do you bake an American pie? Just follow this grandiose recipe and you'll have a taste of the first American pie made on the Fourth of July. Starting with a preheated world that's "hot with a hunger and thirst to be free" and a "giant melting pot," you spread out the "crust of fruited plains" and fold in amber fields of grain, add some "purple mountain majesties" and "leaven with dawn's early light." Ladle in some liberty and sprinkle with freedom. Wilson takes her ingredients from American history and song to concoct a patriot pie that fairly bubbles and steams with noble ideals and geographical splendors. Colžn's ink-and-watercolor illustrations cleverly incorporate tons of iconographic Americana, surreal kitchen images and feline and canine master chefs who measure, fold, roll, pour, whisk, spice and bake this gargantuan culinary masterpiece with breathtaking skill. From page to shining page, this should be a tasty treat for young patriots. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
