The premise of this book is so promising - I'm always looking for unique ways to incorporate food literacy into our collection through different cookbooks and food-centric titles. However, I was a little disappointed with the execution of this book. I found that there were not enough pictures and recipes to keep kids interested in reading, and that the layout was a visually jarring at times. Again, I really like the concept of a book like this, and I hope that this book finds its way to the right audience.

With thanks to NetGalley and Honest History for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I am always on the lookout for new nonfiction books for my classroom so I was excited to be able to review this book. I love this topic and think a lot of kids would really be into a book about cuisine around the world! Unfortunately I don't think it quite hit the mark for the intended audience. There were some really interesting tidbits and information included in the book, but it was very text heavy and the graphics didn't really help support the information. I did like the recipes that were included and those would be fun to try.

2.5 stars.

I really wanted to love this book. I was excited by the premise and the table of contents. It promises fascinating information about food and eating behaviour from around the world. As it turns out, the information is indeed there. I appreciate the thorough and thoughtful details about global cuisine. I liked the inclusion of history. I appreciated the recipes.

It's the layout of the book leaves much to be desired. I like the colour coded pages. I like the inserted information boxes. The problem is that essentially, this book is way too text heavy. In addition, the sentence structure is complex for most elementary aged readers. The format of the book lacks the kinds of text features that would compliment the content and make it easier to grasp. For example, this is a book about food from around the world, yet it doesn't include one map.

Food is sensory. It's at least an experiential combination of visual, olfactory, and flavour. Capturing this in a book was never going to be easy. In this case it seems like the publishers didn't make much of an attempt. There are many text features that would have improved this title. The small coloured illustrations that are included helped a bit, but are not nearly enough. Photographs (and lots of them) would have been a huge improvement!

If you are just looking for bits of data then this book might be ok. The problem in using it as a research resource is that it doesn't include an index or a bibliography.

I would think long and hard, and explore other options before investing in this book for my school library.

This book is an adequate book for a reference about different cultures and the food. To me it felt like it was not enough of anything-there were only a few recipes, the cultural information was brief - I guess to make it more user friendly for kids, and there weren't very many pictures. I don't think the kids at my school would find a book like this interesting.

This was a cute little book. Perfect whether you want to get a quick history of food around the world, expand your. kids' library, or introduce someone to more foods.

Content wise this is a fun book for kids if all ages and their grown ups, but I was super distracted by the very jarring graphic design choices? I get going big and bold for kids, but there wasn’t much consistency and as a reader it took me away from reading and learning.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC in exchange for my review.

I really wanted to like this book, and am so disappointed! The writing seemed incomplete and unfinished, and not age appropriate for the book at all. also, the organization was very confusing - something that I'm hoping that will be fixed before it is actually published.

2 stars.

I really like the topic and proposed concept of this book, and had they actually produced the book they promised, I think it would have been great. Instead, I found many issues with this book.

There are odd mini-sections just thrown in the continent sections without any context. These aren't side bars about those geographic locations and should not have been included in them.

There is no attempt to expand on cuisine in areas, and the author chooses three recipes which *they* think represents that area. Considering that the author doesn't even have a section for Africa, I think we can deduce how accurate those choices are. Don't worry, coffee lovers, there is a brief "coffee break" which at least mentions Ethiopia - in another section, as it obviously isn't in the non-existent African section. There is no section which attempts to talk about any of the people and cultures found throughout the United States and Canada, either.

Basically the book appears to have been written by someone who knows nothing about the majority of the countries they are writing about, basing their knowledge on stereotypes and hearsay.

The author does mention the word colonization and gives a nod to the fact that colonization affected cuisine. but they never go into it or how it greatly affected the cuisine of many cultures - something that should be a topic of the book.

Basically this book is lacking a lot - factual information, good recipes, and clear organization.

Oh my, I can’t wait to share this with my little history-loving chef! The topic and art drew me to this title — and both kept me captivated. You can tell a lot of thoughtfulness went into what to include. I’m so appreciative I got to see an advance e-copy from NetGalley and the publisher. I will absolutely add this one to our home library!

History is Delicious

Let me preface this by saying that I love this book’s topic and the concept - educating about cuisines and cultures around the world. That said, I find it a conundrum …

It’s promoted as a children’s book and addressed to a young audience (“This is the book I wish i had when I was your age…”), yet the pages are FULL of extensive reading passages (some pages have no illustrations or graphics at all… just text) with fairly sophisticated vocabulary and rather advanced structure. Definitely not “kid-friendly.”

The writing itself is inconsistent. The author uses “etc.” like a bad chef uses salt - instead of a sprinkle to accentuate flavors, he shakes it indiscriminately and the overuse is annoying and clunky. Just put a caveat at the beginning that the countries or whatever listed are not necessarily exhaustive, but just the most prevalent or the most well-known, or whatever. But, you don’t need “etc.” at the end of so many lines and lists.

The layout of the book is strange. I’m not sure if it’s just the ebook, or just my copy, or what, but on the page after the “Americas” divider is a section about “Table Settings Around the World” and “Do’s and Don’ts” is right inside “Europe.” What’s the point of making a separation between continents or whatever just to throw other thoughts jn there, especially right at the beginning. These odds-and-ends would have been better suited as separators between sections or continents or whatever (see, I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to be because the section titles have no consistency or clear reasoning) rather than within them. I wondered if maybe it makes sense in print and not ebook, but even looking at the Table of Contents page and seeing it laid out doesn’t make any sense. It’s confusing and misplaced.

The actual information in the book is great. The cuisines, the recipes, and the appropriate illustrations all work, but the author seems confused as to whom he is addressing the book, and to whom he is writing. Thus, it’s hard to rate a book like this on a star scale - I like the concept but not the execution. I like the ideas but not the writing. Hmmm…

E ARC provided by Netgalley

In this vibrantly colored nonfiction book, we are introduced to foods around the world. This starts with a nice introduction to how food develops over time, and is arranged by continents, but also includes information on things like "Table Settings Around the World". A selection of major countries is represented; for example,The Americas includes food from Mexico, Brazil, and Peru, with a listing of indigenous ingredients like chocolate, corn, and tomatoes! Different dishes are described for each country, and at the end of the chapter, there is a recipe for corn tortillas by restaurateur. The "Dining Do's and Don'ts" is very helpful. Celebrity chefs are included in the Europe section, with the history of pizza being discussed in the Italy one. Who knew that carbonara only goes back to the 1950s? There's lots more information, as well as a very complicated recipe for Picky Reader's all-time favorite-- hummus!
Strengths: With bright colors, mouth-watering illustrations, and bite-sized bits of information, this will be a great book for students who don't feel much like reading, but need something to pass the time in study hall. I like to hand students this kind of book instead of Guinness World Record books, since there is a lot of great historical information. I've always found reading about food fascinating, even if I don't like to cook. This book is a great help if one is inclined to visit a variety of ethnic restaurants!
Weaknesses: There are some ingredients in some of the descriptions that I had to look up online. Since this ended very abruptly with the recipe for hummus, perhaps there is a glossary and index in the finished book.
What I really think: I was thrilled to see this available in hardcover from Follett, and will hand this to readers who gobble of Zachman's There's No Ham in Hamburger or other food related books.

This is a great, super educational, and really fun read! It will also make you very hungry! This is wonderful for kids to read to get to know more about different cultures and the various foods around the world, but also for adults who just want to learn more and learn little tid bits about other cultures. I really enjoyed this!

History is Delicious is a delightful book perfect for today's children! Children will gain an understanding of the global community, in which they now live, and be introduced to cuisine and culture from around the world. The beautifully illustrated pages and simple but informative prose will draw children in and make learning about other people, their favorite foods and cultural tradtions fun!

Some of these cultures and foods may already be familiar to children but others are only being rediscovered and will encourage their natural curiosity in the world around them..

Featured sections include History of European Cuisine, Dining "Do's and Don'ts", and Dumplings of the World and many more.

This book is part of new series by Honest History that hopes to engage children in a delightful way to learn more about the people and cultures around them, and to cultivate positive interactions and acceptance of those different from themelves.

I recommend this book in that it approaches history for children in a postive way

Thank you to Joshua Lurie,NetGalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
# NetGalley #HistoryIsDelicious.

This is a great way to introduce cuisine opportunities to a child with culinary interests. It is challenging to provide such a diverse topic in the format of a book; this is a great effort to do so.

This book did provide some recipes that would be fun activities to give a child experience in the kitchen.

All in all, for me, the topic is so broad that this book (84 pages) didn't really work well for me.

Rounding up to 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Honest History and Josh Lurie the author for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 10 August 2021.

Really awesome book to introduce different cuisines to your kiddos. I read this book with my 7yo and now he wants to try different recipes from the different countries every week. We cannot wait to work our way through this book. The great thing is now he wants to learn more about the traditions and make it a whole theme. So fun and the illustrations are terrific. The book is recommended for kids 8-13 but I disagree I think it’s fun for the whole family.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

History is Delicious is a book about food, culture, and history. It is divided into continents, and focuses on a few popular cuisines from countries in that region. For example, Asia has chapters focusing on China, India, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each section gives an overview of the culinary history of a country, and talks about the diffusion of foods via processes such as trade, colonialism, and globalisation. It then goes on to talk about a few popular and must try dishes from that country. Interspersed throughout the book are sections on eating customs, such as etiquette, and specific foods - for example, dumplings, spices, condiments, or noodles; and the variations that occur in different places. There was also a section specifically about indigenous American ingredients, like beans chocolate, chiles, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and turkey. I enjoyed it, but there were no other similar features in the book, so I was a bit confused about thematic choices that were made. Why not have a section about Asian ingredients, or African ingredients? At the end of each continent chapter, there is a recipe. At the close of the Americas section, for example, there's a recipe for corn tortilla, and one for onigiri at the end of the Asia chapter.

I thought the layout and design were appealing and fun overall, although some pages had a little too much text crammed in. It was colourful, and the illustrations were great.

As with any book which takes such a broad view, it is inevitable that a lot of information is glossed over, and there were some inclusions and exclusions that I questioned. Mostly, the exclusion of Africa. We get a short chapter called 'Coffee Break' to talk about Ethiopia, because that is where coffee originated. There are plenty of other vibrant food cultures in Africa, such as Somali and Nigerian cuisines. I think this was a missed opportunity.

I also questioned the inclusion of a section about Israeli cuisine, as there was a vibrant Palestinian culture already present before the settler-colonialist state of Israel forced them from their land and homes. The revisionist history provided in this section makes this process sound like a triumphant homecoming, where oppressed Jewish people from all over the world have come together in solidarity, when this is patently false. Sure, 700,000 Jews may have immigrated to Palestine, but they displaced over 700,000 Palestinians, and continue to do so up to the present day. If this book is going to talk about how colonisation is harmful, then it should be consistent.

So, on the whole, I thought it was quite enjoyable, and I think a lot of children will like it. However, I have deep reservations about handing this book to a child as it is. I think the section about Israel should be removed, or even replaced. I'd also like to have seen a chapter about African cuisines.

I preface that as a reader, reviewer and bookseller I think it’s the smaller details, the little things that often go unnoticed that matter the most – because those are the things that we consume unconsciously and therefore add to a collective unconscious bias.

So here goes my honest review for History is Delicious… As a details person I appreciated that the book was literally stuffed full of facts. If you’re going to learn something, why not learn as much as you can about it in one go! Having said that, as other have mentioned, some of the pages felt ‘overly stuffed’ aesthetically. For me – I think illustrations (good ones) are better than photographs so I did like that too. If anything, the book needed more illustrations especially on the ‘other must try dishes’ pages which are way too text heavy for young people. Another comment regarding the flow of the book – it was a little confusing to be introduced to a new region for the title to be followed by ‘X from around the world’. Perhaps it would have been better to put the dumplings, do’s and don’ts etc before the regional title pages.

I’ve mentioned before that I like recipes in kid’s books – so including those was a plus for me! I think a couple more of those in place of the continuous text that appeared throughout.

I did like the inclusion of Egypt, being Egyptian it’s always wonderful to see my culture and food referenced. It’s not often you see Egyptian food talked about!

OK! So now to the detail. Some of the other reviewers have written in positive terms the author’s mention of the relationship between colonisation and food. In my opinion, while it’s certainly important to mention it, I felt that the author could have done more to discuss what the colonisation meant. I also did not like how French settlers in Vietnam were addressed as ‘Ex Pats’, the British colonisation in India was referred to as ‘a rocky time to say the least’. I think if you’re going to mention it, go ahead and talk about it. It was not a rocky time, it was a traumatic, violent time for India and its people. In the introduction the author says ‘historical factors such as colonisation have not always been positive’. I think this is a gross understatement and feel that statement should not be left open to a ‘two sides argument’.

Briefly; the segment of Israel was devoid of any mention of Palestine. For all the praise of referencing colonisation, we are surely not missing that omission of the existence of a people. It also would have been nice to include more examples of the food and cultural diversity of Jewish people in Israel; e.g. Yemenite food culture is amazing.

The other thing I found curious was why there was no reference to North American food culture despite the author being American. The incredible, rich food history of Black people in America felt like a huge gap to me, along with Native American cuisine and history. I am left wondering whether this was again a deliberate omission – and certainly interesting considering all the talk of global colonisation.

Over all the facts that were in there were great, with a few disappointing omissions or turns of phrase but I couldn’t pinpoint anything unique in comparison to like texts already available. While I wouldn’t hold this up as a beacon of contemporary inclusivity by any stretch, I don’t doubt that young people reading this book will learn something from it about different foods around the world.

3.75/5

History is delicious is a non-fiction children's book that highlights national cuisines from around the world and oftentimes how they originated-- such as how Indigenous American dishes mixed with Spanish dishes during colonization to create the Mexican food we know today. I especially liked the section on the different kinds of dumplings that are found around the world. I think the drawings of the dishes are nice as well.

I enjoyed this book as an adult reader. However, the aged demographic is children and there are pages and pages of encyclopedia-like text that I'm not sure will engage the intended audience, even though it isn't necessarily difficult to read. I thought it was really interesting and well-researched and was glad to see the inclusion of indigenous ingredients. This kind of topic is something you have to tread carefully, because even if you're a foodie who has tried cuisines from around the world, one should definitely consult with native people to make sure you are representing their culture appropriately.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

History is Delicious is a fun, informative book on cuisine and cultures around the world. There are many actually very helpful tips for eating cultures in different countries, as well as a few recipes that you can try yourself. This is a colorful, easy to read, and well laid out -- making it a great book for kids.

This is an excellent nonfiction title focusing on food around the world and throughout history. With attention paid to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, it's fairly expansive without being to overwhelming to be included in a collection for kids; of course, not all world cuisines are included - little is included from Africa, and the section about Europe is small (somewhat refreshing since that space is given to cultures and regions that are often ignored). There are a few recipes included, though a broad knowledge with bits of details are certainly the focus here.

I have to mention, I appreciated that the author states, more than once, that colonization has influenced food culture around the world, and it is acknowledged that this colonization was often violent and terrible for the indigenous peoples of those places. Food history can gloss over these realities, so I appreciated that there was an acknowledgment here.

Definitely recommended for any nonfiction collection. This is appropriate for more than just young kids; it would be ideal in a middle grade library and still appropriate for teens and adults.