Umami

by Jacob Grant, Jacob Grant (Illustrator)

Overview

Umami, sick of cold fish, travels the world trying different and delicious food to bring back home for the other penguins to try.

Umami is tired of eating cold fish.

But fish is what the penguins eat. Fish for every meal and birthdays too. To find new exciting foods, Umami adventures across the sea and discovers flavors and spices that are inspiring! She has to share them.

But will the other penguins share her love for these different foods?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593624067
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.96(w) x 10.32(h) x 0.41(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jacob Grant is an author, illustrator, and dad who is usually hungry. Many of his favorite foods are in this book. When not thinking about food, Jacob can be found at home in Chicago, drawing and writing books like: No Fair!, No Pants!, and Bear's Scare, among other stories. Learn more about Jacob at JacobGrantBooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/09/2024

Limited culinary options create a path for exploration in this playful tale. Situated on a white snowbank against a deep blue sea, a penguin community eats cold fish at every meal (“For dessert? Cold fish. Your birthday? More cold fish”). When penguin Umami finds her birthday meal to be a fish too far, she raises her fork in defiance, announcing, “If there is more exciting food in this world, I will find it!” Crossing the ocean, she discovers a warm-hued sunbaked coast and streets crowded with animalian vendors and endless new foods; “Umami would eat it all.” She samples foods salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and “a taste that shared her name,” until encountering a spicy food suggests inspired next steps that take Umami’s findings home. Grant’s witty oil pastel monoprint and colored pencil art marries technique with expression to illustrate Umami as a happy-belly food bon viveur—sweetly wide-eyed with joy, wonder, and gustatory delight—forging a tasty path in a bountiful world. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Grant . . . marries technique with expression to illustrate Umami as a happy-belly food bon viveur—sweetly wide-eyed with joy, wonder, and gustatory delight—forging a tasty path in a bountiful world." —PW, starred review

"An epicurean tale of bravery and tasty discoveries." --Kirkus Reviews

"Even the pickiest kids will relish how this delectable adventure sets out the unpredictable fun and satisfaction of trying something new." —Booklist Reviews

" [A] riot of shape, colors, and textures that might just nudge picky eaters to expand their palates and venture into the wild world of flavor." —BCCB

"The perfect balance between humor, plot and Umami’s expanding palette. . . . [Umami] gives us a character that’s easy to root for and a journey that is delightful to share." —SLJ

"Umami's lively culinary exploration may stir curioustiy in young foodies to venture beyond familiar omfort food." —Horn book Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-08-17
A penguin embarks on a culinary adventure.

Tired of fish, fish, and more fish, a brown-and-white penguin named Umami declares, “I’m finished with all of it.” She sails off in a little boat, eager for new gastronomic opportunities. Along the way, she discovers salty, sour, bitter, and sweet foods that tease her palate and evoke joy. She even comes across a savory flavor that bears her name (umami), along with the heat and vigor of spice. Determined to share her findings with her fellow penguins, she returns to her home shores full of ideas and motivation. But will the other penguins be as daring as she? “There’s only one way to find out,” she declares as she whips up dish after dish for her village, enticing them with delicious new smells. As they each take a bite, silence falls over the penguins, and Umami discovers one more thing—her new purpose and calling as a chef for her friends and family. Grant’s spare text guides Umami through her journey, paired with a classic illustration style that alternates an ocean of white space with bold, textured backgrounds seasoned with red, green, and yellow, evoking Umami’s culinary evolution. While readers might have some questions about the connection between the protagonist’s name and the actual meaning ofumami, her experience will certainly inspire them to be similarly adventurous in their own eating habits.

An epicurean tale of bravery and tasty discoveries.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews