Salma the Syrian Chef is a wonderful picture book that is an absolute delight!

These are the types of books I needed when I was little. Reading the same old picture books over and over got boring, but books like THESE would have had me thrilled and excited. As an adult, I can appreciate them even more. Diversity in children's literature is a must these days! I'm so glad to see a book like this out and about!

Salma lives in Vancouver (Yay! Canada!) but previously lived in Syrian. Her Father will be coming to Canada soon, but for now it's just her and her Mama. Salma wants to make Mama happy, and she knows just the way! She could make some Syrian food for Mama. With a little help from her friends, Salma sets herself on a mission to brighten up her Mama's day because she can't fix the bigger problems.

My heart is SINGING. This book is so sweet and such a wonderful tale. I can't talk highly enough about this book! It has to find a bigger audience because it is just so lovely! The heart and soul within this book is just magical. I highly recommend this book, in fact, I can't recommend it enough! Adults and children alike will love this sweet story.

This story is for a bit older group - at least grade ones. This book has a wonderful little plot and tells a beautiful story. It's not just pretty pictures and simple words. There's excellent sentence structure and a really well thought out plot. I applaud Danny Ramadan, I'm impressed!

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd. for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Friends at a welcome center help Salma, a Syrian refugee, prepare foul shami, a dish that is meant to ease her mother’s sadness and remind her of home.. Young readers will have an opportunity to empathize with a contemporary problem explained in a simple way that is appropriate for this audience. The cheerful illustrations convey resilience without minimizing the hardships for children facing this tragic situation.

Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley

This is a sweet story. A young girl and her mother have come to a new country and they're dealing with the emotional toll of being apart from her father and adjusting to their circumstances. Salma gets the idea to cheer up her mother by cooking something that they used to eat in Syria. The people around Salma help her with this project, but there are many trials along the way.

The story and illustrations show the frustrations and some of the sadness, but not in such a way as to overwhelm young readers. Readers can see that the people around us are what truly make a home.

Recommendation: This is a great addition to any library (home or otherwise) especially for those wanting to increase their representation of immigrants. It's also simply a nice book for those who enjoy picture books centered around food.

I requested this book to read to my kids primarily because they have been super interested in cooking lately. I thought it would be nice for them to learn about another young chef who likes to cook, and even more intrigued by the ideas of a Syrian chef, where a lot of the ingredients they would not have heard before. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only do you learn about a Syrian dish and what goes into making it, but you also learn about the difficulty in coming to a new country when you had to leave your own. This was a perspective that I wasn't anticipating, but ended up being great discussion for my children and myself. Definitely recommend this for any kids aged Kindergarten and higher.