A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen

by Erin Frankel, Paola Escobar (Illustrator)

Overview

"A biography about chef Josâe Andrâes, who, through his World Central Kitchen organization, is fulfilling a vision to feed people in need all over the world"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593380581
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	11.35(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Erin Frankel is a children’s book author. She loves telling stories of empathy and wonder. Her picture books include A Plate of Hope, Remembering Barkley, and the Weird! series. Erin enjoys visiting schools to talk to students about stories and kindness. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh, where she writes, teaches, and hopes.

Paola Escobar grew up traveling from town to town in Bogota, Colombia. She is the illustrator of Digging for Words, an ALA Notable Book, and recipient of both the Americas Award and the International Latino Book Award, as well as Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, an Indie Pick called "a must-have for all libraries" in a School Library Journal starred review. She lives with her husband and her dog, Flora.

Editorial Reviews

12/11/2023

Leaning into themes of community, imagination, and storytelling, this concept-driven biography of a chef renowned for global disaster relief efforts traces how he came to feed “the few AND the many.” As a boy in Spain, José Andrés (b. 1969) tended the fire that cooked his family’s paella, but he wanted to do more, including re-creating his mother’s flan, whose “cool spoonful... told a story to his senses.” Later, at culinary school, he imagined “the stories that he wanted to tell with food.” After his work in New York City and Washington, D.C., garnered fame, Andrés’s volunteering at a D.C. soup kitchen and cooking in Haiti following an earthquake leads to his founding World Central Kitchen for those experiencing disasters, including Huracán María. An italicized Spanish refrain (“No era solo”) emphasizes the idea that it isn’t just one experience or person but many moments and individuals that lead to success. Focusing on scenes of people and food, Escobar’s luscious digital images add visual savor via colorful spirals of enticing aromas. An author’s note and photographs conclude. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Lush illustrations and a captivating narrative make this biography shine." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Focusing on scenes of people and food, Escobar’s luscious digital images add visual savor via colorful spirals of enticing aromas." —Publishers Weekly

"Readers will be encouraged to think big and make connections between their dreams and the needs they encounter." —Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2023-11-04
Nobel Peace Prize nominee and chef José Andrés strives to feed the world.

For Andrés, cooking has always been about more than food. Growing up in Asturias, Spain, he learned that cooking is about people, and when he began working as a chef on a navy ship, fresh out of cooking school, he had a far greater goal than feeding sailors: He wanted everyone around the world to have enough to eat. Even when Andrés moved to the U.S. and became renowned for his food, he sought ways to use his talent to help others, a mission that took him from a D.C. soup kitchen to a humanitarian mission to Haiti to the foundation of his own NGO, World Central Kitchen. The refrain “It wasn’t just” (“the rice,” “a restaurant,” “a trip”) helps readers learn to look beyond the surface of things, to discover new possibilities, surprises, and opportunities, even in the face of tragedy. At times Andrés’ biography seems to be pressed into the service of U.S. patriotism, but the message of collectivism beyond borders saves the book from an overemphasis on American individualism. The engaging story is perfectly paired with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations full of color and texture that vividly convey emotion and add nuance to the text.

Lush illustrations and a captivating narrative make this biography shine. (author’s note about José Andrés, selected bibliography, photos) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews