The King's Taster

by Kenneth Oppel, Lou Fancher (Illustrator), Steve Johnson (Illustrator)

Overview

Max is the cook's dog. And because he is also the king's taster, Max gets to feast on

French Fries!

Rose Pudding!

Cheese Pie!

Pizza!

No wonder Max loves his job. Who wouldn't want to dine on these delicious dishes?

The new king, that's who.

And if the new king has his way, it won't just be their job that the cook and Max lose!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060753726
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/09/2009
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

KENNETH OPPEL is the bestselling author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and was adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the Times (UK). Kenneth Oppel is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing, Inkling and the Bloom trilogy. His latest novel is Ghostlight. Ken Oppel lives with his family in Toronto.

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher are an illustration team with more than forty picture books in print. Their work has garnered rave reviews and won awards. Their books include My Many Colored Days, Bebop Express, I Walk at Night, New York's Bravest, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Salamander Room. They were also concept artists for Pixar's Toy Story and A Bug's Life. They live in California with their son.

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher are an illustration team with more than forty picture books in print. Their work has garnered rave reviews and won awards. Their books include My Many Colored Days, Bebop Express, I Walk at Night, New York's Bravest, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Salamander Room. They were also concept artists for Pixar's Toy Story and A Bug's Life. They live in California with their son.

Editorial Reviews

Narrated by a bespectacled beagle, Oppel's pedantic offering mixes a "be your authentic self" vibe with an admonishment not to spoil your appetite with sweets. "I'm the king's taster, but I'm the cook's dog," says Max. When the new boy-king rebuffs Cook's efforts, Max and Cook undertake a series of overnight travels in search of delectably palatable recipes to tempt his majesty. The forays yield predictable but tempting results: fries from France, pizza from Venice (not Napoli?) and "chili tacos" from Mexico, all summarily rejected-and ejected-by the bratty king. Once ratted out (thanks to Max) for eating those appetite-suppressing sweets, the king becomes a convert to Cook's cuisine. "Ask me for anything . . . and it shall be yours!" he raves. Accordingly, the last spread depicts both Cook's dream-come-true and the story arc's conclusion, with Cook and Max outside their own eatery, a pub called "The King's Taster." Workmanlike collages by the accomplished Fancher and Johnson combine textiles, scrawled recipes and painterly elements in a muted, Old World palette that matches the ambitious plotting. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews