Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious
(Food Heroes #2)

Gr 2-4—This picture book biography takes on Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley and the Edible Schoolyard Project. Using an enthusiastic, conversational tone and a free verse form ("In her travels, Alice learned/wonderful food was like a symphony/that woke people up, made them happier"), Martin shows how Waters's fascination and love for fresh foods started young: at age three, the future chef won a costume contest, dressed up in a lettuce skirt, strawberry necklace, and crown made of asparagus. While in college, Waters studied cooking in France and brought home what she learned about selecting and preparing fresh foods. Before long, she opened Chez Panisse, a huge success. Finding fresh foods was not always easy, but as her reputation grew, growers began to come to her, and, eventually, her love and passion for fresh, locally grown food led her to organize the Edible Schoolyard Project, in which students plant and cultivate their own fruits and vegetables. Rendered with brush and black ink and enhanced digitally, the illustrations are colorful and simple. The book includes an afterword by Waters and an author's note elaborating on the subject's contributions to the local foods movement. A fine introduction to units on nutrition, healthy eating, and creative people making positive change.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

This adoring tribute to chef Alice Waters begins with a three-year-old Alice dressing in "a lettuce-leaf skirt, radish bracelets, a necklace of strawberries, a crown of asparagus," and winning a costume contest. Bringing the lessons she learns about food home from her world travels, Waters shares meals with friends before opening her restaurant, Chez Panisse, and pioneering the Edible Schoolyard Project. Martin describes how Waters seeks out ingredients with integrity: "The delicious meals she wanted to serve to her customers began not in the kitchen but in the field, with good soil and thoughtful farmers." Debut artist Choi fills the pages with cheerful scenes of smiling, multicultural children preparing and enjoying food; Waters herself contributes an afterword. Ages 5-up. Author's agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Literary Agency. (Aug.)