• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: k to 3
• Reading age: 4 to 8

A picture book about a lively evening in a community kitchen from Governor General’s Award–winning author and illustrator Jillian Tamaki.

Tie on your apron!
Roll up your sleeves!
Pans are out, oven is hot.
The kitchen’s all ready,
Where do we start?

In this lively, rousing picture book from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki, a crew of resourceful neighbours come together to prepare a meal for their community. With a garden full of produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen and a friendly meal shared at the table, Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and people looking out for one another.

Includes two recipes and an author’s note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book.

Key Text Features
illustrated recipes
author's note
speech bubbles

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

 

Jillian Tamaki est l'illustratrice et la caricaturiste de plusieurs livres, dont Cet été- là, un roman illustré pour ados qu'elle a créé avec sa cousine Mariko Tamaki. Ce roman lui a valu le Prix littéraire du Gouverneur général, catégorie littérature jeunesse – livres illustrés et le prix Eisner dans la catégorie « meilleur album graphique ». Les illustrations de Jillian se retrouvent dans les publications les plus prestigieuses comme le New York Times, le New Yorker et le Guardian. Originaire de Calgary, en Alberta, elle habite maintenant à Toronto.

 

Jillian Tamaki is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Toronto, Ontario. Her books include Skim and This One Summer, both co-created with her cousin Mariko Tamaki; and Super Mutant Magic Academy and Boundless. She has contributed illustrations to some of the world's top publications, including the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Guardian, and has taught at Parsons and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

 

Jillian Tamaki's profile page

• Winner, Eisner Award — Best Publication for Early Readers
• Short-listed, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
• Commended, 49th Shelf Canadian Books of the Year
• Commended, Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year
• Commended, New York Times Best Children’s Books of the Year
• Commended, Washington Post Best Children’s Books
• Commended, CBC Books Best Canadian Picture Books
• Nominated, Governor General’s Literary Awards for Young People’s Literature — Illustrated Books
• Commended, Globe 100 Favourite Books

[W]hat’s most striking is Tamaki’s gentle but empowering message about the need to be kind.

Globe and Mail

[T]his color-saturated, mouthwatering whirlwind of a book bursts with energy from the moment its diverse group of characters starts chopping and slicing, whisking and whipping.

New York Times

Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and looking out for one another.

Book Riot

Tamaki’s colors are bright and the energy from the book gives out so much happiness. … The book is about hope and love for each other.

International Examiner

[A] lively, rousing picture book.

Canadian Children's Book Centre

Energetic, filled to the brim with compassion and ever-changing perspectives, this book needs to be in every school library and classroom.

Sal’s Fiction Addiction Blog

Warm and inviting.

Canadian Children’s Book News

[A] a vibrant picture book.

Vancouver Writers Fest

Our Little Kitchen shines.

Picture Book Builders Blog

[V]ibrant illustrations and fun text.

Buffalo News