Wednesday, February 24, 2010



CORA COOKS PANCIT, a picture book I illustrated in 2009, was reviewed in the November, 2009 issue of School Library Journal!

LAZO GILMORE, Dorina K. Cora Cooks Pancit. illus. by Kristi Valiant. unpaged. glossary. CIP. Shen's. 2009. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-885008-35-0. LC 2008045836.

PreS-Gr 3--When Cora's Filipino family cooks together, she's always stuck doing the "kid jobs." Then one day when her older siblings are out and about, Cora gets her chance to bond with Mama in the kitchen. She even gets to choose her favorite dish, so the two of them make a large bowl of noodles, chicken, and vegetables called pancit. Clear expository prose explains how to perform kitchen tasks. For example, Mama tells Cora, "Open the package of rice noodles and put them in this bowl of water." Then she engages her daughter by asking her, "Do you know why we soak them?" These scenes effectively model how adults can introduce children to cooking. The simple, direct style also makes the book equally well suited as a read-aloud and for newly independent readers. The artwork nicely complements the text, as Valiant's warm hues of gold, red, and orange highlight the family's loving relationship. They also capture Cora's feelings through facial expressions. Wide eyes and smiles show the child's joy at cooking with her mother, while a downcast mouth and arched eyebrows illustrate her anxiety that her family won't like her pancit. Although this dish is unique to Cora's culture, children of all backgrounds will share her feelings at being allowed to help cook a meal for the first time. A solid choice for schools and public libraries, especially where family-based programming is popular.--Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY




More great news: CORA COOKS PANCIT is included in the annual best-of-the-year list of the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC), called CCBC Choices 2010. Yay! The complete CCBC Choices 2010 publication featuring books published in 2009 will include annotations and recommended ages for all of the books included, as well as an author/title/subject index, and a commentary on the publishing year. It'll be available in March.

Kristi Valiant
www.kristivaliant.com
http://kristivaliant.blogspot.com

6 comments:

Ginger*:) said...

Kristi these are beautiful images. I remember another one from an earlier post in which you also used shadows so creatively. Your little girl is adorable.
I certainly wish you all the best with the book.

Amy C. Moreno said...

I agree with Ginger..each image has warmth and is so professionally done..the colors are perfect and the expressions and poses of the bodies are wonderful. Congratulations on this!

Roberta said...

Congratulations Kristi... what a wonderful review!
And you've capture Cora's expressions and body language beautifully!

Vanessa Brantley Newton said...

WHAT A FABU review Kristi!!! How wonderful is this. The characters are so fabulously illustrated. You are so masterful at your craft. AWESOME! How is the new baby and all? I bet that baby has talent too he he he!! Great work!

Scott said...

Love the body movement and expression in your characters. Your images really move!!

Kristi Valiant said...

Thanks everyone! Vanessa, the baby is wonderful and so much fun to hold. I'm waiting for her to wake up from a nap...