• Age: 3 to 6
• Grade: p to 1

Joseph misses sharing meals with lots of people like he did back in the refugee camp, so when the neighbors finally come over, it’s a feast! A companion book to Joseph’s Big Ride, described in Kirkus as “a joyful, upbeat tale.”

When Joseph and Mama lived in a refugee camp in East Africa, everyone cooked and ate together. And Joseph could always hear someone playing the awal. It’s much too quiet and lonely in his new home. Though Whoosh, the girl who lives upstairs, is friendly, Joseph misses having more people around, especially his grandmother, who still lives across the ocean. So he invites his relatives in the city to come for dinner, then he invites his teacher, then Whoosh and her mami — but everyone is too busy.

Ever hopeful, Joseph picks the last greens from the garden. At least he and Mama will be ready to cook if someone comes. The next night Whoosh and her mami appear at the door with a big cake, and Whoosh and Joseph cook up a feast.

A touching story about adjusting to a new home and the pleasure of cooking and sharing food with friends.

Key Text Features

glossary

translations

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

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

TERRY FARISH is an author of picture books and young adult novels, many influenced by her trip to Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and work with the Red Cross in Vietnam. The Good Braider won the New Hampshire Literary Award and the Lupine Award. It was also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a School Library Journal Best Book. Joseph's Big Ride, illustrated by Ken Daley, received a Skipping Stones Honor, and The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup, illustrated by Barry Root, won a Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books Blue Ribbon. Terry lives in Kittery, Maine.

Terry Farish's profile page

OD BONNY is a writer, producer and songwriter, as well as an artist of traditional Acholi music and dancehall/Afrobeat. He was born in South Sudan and fled to Uganda with his two older brothers, where they lived in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. In 2003, they moved to the United States. OD attended the University of Maine in Orono, and he began composing and singing traditional Acholi music. He has toured all around Canada, the US, Australia and Ireland. This is his first book. He lives with his family in Omaha, Nebraska.

O.D. Bonny's profile page

KEN DALEY est né à Cambridge, en Ontario, de parents ayant immigré de la Dominique, dans les Antilles. Ken est diplômé honoraire de la Art Centre of Central Technical School et diplômé en technologie architecturale du Humber College de Toronto. Il a exposé ses œuvres au Canada, aux États-Unis et dans les Caraïbes, et son travail figure dans de nombreuses collections privées.

KEN DALEY was born in Cambridge, Ontario to parents who emigrated from Dominica, West Indies. Ken is an honorary graduate from the Art Centre of Central Technical School as well as an architectural technology graduate from Humber College in Toronto. He has exhibited his artwork within Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, and his work can be found in numerous private collections. Ken’s previous books include Joseph’s Big Ride, Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings and Jayden’s Impossible Garden.To learn more about Ken, visit: https://www.kendaleyart.com.

Ken Daley's profile page

• Commended, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Best Books for Kids and Teens

Full of food and fun.

Winnipeg Free Press

A heart-warming, powerful story.

Open Book

The robust illustrations use saturated colors and shading to help convey a mood of happiness and warmth.

Booklist

The vibrant illustrations, full of color and movement … nicely complement the poetic text.

Horn Book

A wonderful book that humanizes refugees through a focus on joy in everyday life, even in asylum. STARRED REVIEW

Kirkus Reviews

A Feast for Joseph captures and celebrates the magic that happens when individuals come together over food and friendship.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials