Yumbo Gumbo

Adorable. It has a creole glossary at the end & talks about how voting helps children. There's also a but on the history of gumbo. I just wish it had a recipe, but that's easy enough to find online. Gumbo is a favorite of mine & I would eat it the way they did. I always use at least one meat like shrimp, andouille, or chicken, but okra is not optional :)

This book has a lot of great lessons for childrens. It allows for children to learn about a different culture's food, as well as learning about solving problems that come up between friends. It also explores how people preference of different items. This is a great book with many lessons.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Annabelle and her brother, Beau, go to their grandparents' house to make gumbo. There's just one problem - what kind do they make? No one can seem to agree, so it's up to Annabelle to use logic and reason to come up with the answer. The book celebrates culture and family in a cute story about how voting can be used to resolve issues. There are also Louisiana Creole words sprinkled throughout the book, and a glossary at the end to explain them. An author's note about gumbo explains what gumbo is made from, and that many cultures have contributed to it.

This book is part of the Storytelling Math series, which brings together, "Math, diversity, and the power of story." At the end, there is a note from Dr. Yvelyne Germain-McCarthy, a professor at the University of Louisiana, who mentions, "When children use voting to solve problems, they are gathering, interpreting, and making decisions based on data."

I got a free digital ARC through Netgalley. Such a great series that explores math concepts. I use this in my STEM story times.

Yumbo Gumbo is a fun story about a family trying to decide what to cook for dinner. It is a great way to have young children think about math in a practical way.

Annabelle and her family are going to her grandparents. She is going to learn to make gumbo. This book is great because it teaches about a different culture and a lesson on compromise. The drawings are fun and bubbly. I also enjoyed the characters. I liked learning a bit more about gumbo. NetGalley gave me an ARC to review. Highly recommend. My review is my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yumbo Gumbo is a delightful celebration of diversity, family, and the magic that happens when storytelling and math come together. Annabelle's journey into the world of gumbo-making not only introduces readers to the rich Louisiana Creole culture but also weaves in a playful exploration of data and social-emotional reasoning.

The story is not just about cooking; it's a vibrant tapestry of family dynamics, showcasing the love, laughter, and occasional disagreements that come with shared traditions. The dilemma of choosing the type of gumbo becomes an unexpected lesson in decision-making, adding a layer of educational value to the narrative.

The inclusion of Louisiana Creole characters adds authenticity to the story, creating a cultural immersion for young readers. The glossary of Louisiana Creole words is a thoughtful touch, fostering an appreciation for different languages and traditions.

What sets Yumbo Gumbo apart is its integration of math concepts seamlessly into the storyline. The playful exploration of data and the decision-making process introduces children to foundational math skills in a fun and engaging way. The collaboration with math experts at TERC ensures that the math elements are both accurate and accessible for young minds.

The Storytelling Math series, of which Yumbo Gumbo is a part, continues to shine in its mission to make math a joyful and integral part of children's daily adventures. The hands-on activities suggested in the book provide an interactive element, encouraging kids and their grown-ups to explore math concepts together.

Overall, Yumbo Gumbo is a flavorful blend of entertainment and education. It encourages a love for diverse cultures, promotes the power of storytelling, and sneakily teaches valuable math skills along the way. Whether you're a little chef or a budding mathematician, this book is a delightful addition to any child's library.

Down in the Creole Bayou there is nothing that tastes better than a nice bowl of gumbo. Annabelle, her brother, Beau, and their parents go to their grandparents' house to make gumbo, a great Creole cultural food staple that can be made many ways. The story encourages diversity, gathering, interpreting, and making decisions based on data leading to agreeable negotiation. There is even a
Creole glossary at the end!
The illustrations by Katie Crumpton are fun, complex, colorful, and delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you!

Yumbo Gumbo is the story of two siblings determining what type of gumbo they want to help make at their grandmother’s house. This book is the perfect introduction to cultural foodways of the American South more specifically Louisiana. The characters even speak French Creole and there’s vocabulary available to learn in the back of the book as well as a gumbo recipe. It also includes introductory math reasoning skills, bright beautiful colors, textures and diversity. Another aspect I appreciate is that the family members are illustrated beautifully and come in all shapes and shades, which is lovely representation of the make up of Creole families.

This book includes themes of tradition, the communal act of cooking, sharing, teamwork, deductive reasoning and decision making. I’d recommend this book for children of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in these themes and are looking for some diversity in childrens books.

Yumbo Gumbo (Storytelling Math)
by Keila V. Dawson
Showing a number of tied votes this family finds a solution to the debate what gumbo should they make. Showing problems solving and differences in coming into a debate from many view points. It has lessons in math, and cooking as well a cultural history and types of gumbo.

A cute picture book about learning to cook while focusing on gumbo. And I mean who doesn't love gumbo.

This is a really nice story which introduces us to not only a different cultural tradition, but also shades of flavour within it.

The decisions around which gumbo to make introduces the reader to the practical uses of mathematics in everyday life, but also to the idea of children being active in the kitchen and cooking being an appealing task.

Not to mention that the demonstration of how to manage the expectations of the different family members allows kids to learn about important skills such as conflict negotiation and finding compromise within a democratic process.

This story is nicely done and highly recommended!

loved this book, it was so cute, it has a nice message. I just love kids books. this one was amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this ARC. I read this book today for my daughter's bedtime. I don't think I have ever read a children's book solely on the topic of gumbo. I really enjoyed that and I enjoyed that language in the book. It was a nice story about finding a way to agree on what type of gumbo to eat. The illustrations were cute as well, just wish there were more Gumbo pot what it looks like so that young readers could really understand what gumbo is. It also includes history and a glossary and a few more educational extras. We enjoyed reading it.

The family is planning on making gumbo but can't decide what kind to make, Annabelle tries several different ways to divide everyone up before hitting on a solution that satisfies everyone.

While this book does share lots of Louisiana culture and their favorite dish. My favorite part was the problem solving this is something that is huge for a kid to see. They thought of many ways that they could choose which gumbo they wanted while making sure that it was fair to everyone, I believe this is a great book to read to a preschool or elementary child.

No one can agree on what kind of gumbo to make: okra, chicken, or seafood. Voting always seems to end in a tie, until Annabelle comes up with a clever way to break that tie.

Kids should enjoy this fun and unique look at math, problem solving, compromise, and, yes, even a little bit about gumbo.

A dish I longed to try, this gumbo from Louisiana should be a marvel. But in this story, two siblings can't agree to their favorite dish. So they vote. Not really about math, but in real life, we can vote to arrive at a conclusion. This one is particularly yummy.

***3.5 Stars***

***Thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for the eARC copy of this book. My opinions are my own.  This book came out on February 20th!***

Annabelle, her little brother Beau, and their parents visit her grandparents in Creole Louisiana. Annabelle is hoping that her grandparents will make her favorite okra gumbo, while her brother wants chicken gumbo. They take a vote with their family members and the vote is split, so they add a third compromise option, and the vote is split again. Whatever will they do?

This children’s picture book is about problem-solving and compromise. According to the publisher, “Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.” I felt that the math skills were very gentle. It shows how doing everyday things are helpful with learning math without being too heavy-handed.

In the back of the book after the story ends, they give some starting points in how to incorporate these techniques with your own children.

I thought this was cute. I really liked the diversity and the focus on food. I’m from southern Louisiana, so I was delighted by the local words used and, of course, the gumbo!

I think this would be great if you have kids and want to help them learn problem-solving skills.

4.5 stars.

Yumbo Gumbo is a super cute story about a young girl learning to make gumbo with her family for the first time. We learn about gumbo, fair decision making, and counting, and there's some Louisiana Creole used throughout (with a glossary at the back). The art is really cute, and the playful story is fun. I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend it!