CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2002)
Young Marcia Shaw enjoys helping her mother with household tasks and looks forward to more responsibility after the new baby is born. So Marcia is initially disappointed when her parents hire Fannie Farmer to assist with the cooking. Fannie proves to be a skillful cook and an excellent teacher, and she quickly wins Marcia over by sharing her knowledge of cookery, something the young girl thinks of as magic. "Preparing food well isn't magic. It's an art and a science that anyone can learn," Fannie assures her. But when Marcia has trouble keeping everything in her head, Fannie begins to write it down for her, leading to the invention of the modern recipe. Hopkinson's spirited story is based on real events in Fannie Farmer's life before she took a position at the Boston Cooking School, as an author's note reveals. Hopkinson cleverly breaks the story into sections named after a seven-course meal. The details she chooses to illustrate Farmer's culinary savvy are likely to interest children -- how to know when to flip a pancake, for example -- and three ways to tell if an egg is fresh. Nancy Carpenter's whimsical illustrations are an excellent match for the author's tone, as they successfully blend detailed Victorian line art for background objects such as stoves and oil lamps (and even Marcia's parents), with light-hearted cartoon-style renditions of Fannie and Marcia. CCBC categories: Historical People, Places, and Events; Picture Books for Older Children; Biography and Autobiography. 2001, An Anne Schwartz Book / Atheneum, 32 pages, $16.00. Ages 7-10.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Deborah Hopkinson takes a lively, child-centered approach in Fannie in the Kitchen. Illustrator, Nancy Carpenter, plays along by incorporating vintage engravings in her exuberant pen and ink and watercolor pictures. The young heroine, Marcia Shaw, feels displaced when her very pregnant mother announces she's hiring a mother's helper. Marcia intends to be a pill, but Fanny appeals to the child's ego and pulls her into the fun of cooking. Fanny asks for Marcia's help in making biscuits, adding "make them nice and small. Small biscuits are more dainty, don't you think?" Fanny is judicious with her tips, attuned to Marcia's curiosity and provides a path to learning. She gives Marcia ample opportunities to fail and waits for her questions, which lead to eventual success. Hopkinson's skills with dialogue animate the biography, celebrate Fanny's spirit, wisdom and passion for cooking, and convincingly depict the growing relationship between Fanny and Marcia. Hopkinson and Carpenter's descriptions and detailing invite readers into this amazing kitchen where there are "mashed potatoes fluffier than clouds" and "blueberry pies sweeter than a summer sky." Just desserts come at the end when the reader is rewarded with a recipe for Fannie Farmer's Famous Griddle Cakes. 2001, Atheneum, $16.00. Ages 6 to 9.