A sweet story that lets students know, in a subtle way, that it's okay to feel sad or confused when you lose someone that you love. I felt like I was in the kitchen with Nara while she was making bread with her family members. I want to taste piece of that bread that she made!

Oh a book that made me tear up a little, especially when I was expecting it to be about bread making techniques and technical terms. The book is a sensitive, beautiful homage to the author's memories of making bread with her dad. The story is simple, uncomplicated and yet effective in conveying to young children that losing loved ones doesn't have to mean the loss of their warmth and love. Finding the right way to feel connected to them might not be simple, but their love lingers on. And so, when we do activities that remind us of them, we can sense them around us, feel them, hear them talking to us that as we move on, they will be with us at every step of the way. Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the DRC of this beautiful book! My review is voluntary, my opinions are my own and my thoughts are fully honest.

A beautiful story for those experiencing loss. Sometimes big emotions like losing someone can't really be explained to kids, they just know that they are sad, and maybe don't want to do things they normally did.

Bread Days takes that concept and shares it in a heartwarming way. How even though things might not be the same, since the loved one is gone, you can still do the things you used to, just with different people.

A wonderful book!

A Touching Story of Love, Loss, and Baking

Bread Days by Hannah Chung is a moving and heartfelt picture book that explores the themes of loss, memory, and the healing power of family traditions. The story follows a young girl named Nara who once shared a deep love for baking bread with her Papa. When Papa is no longer there, Nara's joy for baking disappears, leaving her with feelings of sadness and confusion.
However, the book takes a hopeful turn as Nara, with the help of her Mama, begins to take care of her Papa's sourdough starter. Through this simple act, she finds comfort and is able to keep the memory of her Papa alive. The narrative beautifully illustrates how shared activities and traditions can become a way to connect with loved ones who are gone, finding joy and solace in the things they once loved.
This picture book is a touching read for children ages 4-8 and is a great resource for families who have experienced loss. It shows that while grief is a part of life, so is finding new ways to heal and rediscover happiness. The book promises to be a comforting and gentle read, perfect for sharing with a child.
Overall, Bread Days is a beautifully written story that celebrates the enduring connection between a parent and child and the simple, yet profound, joy of food.

gives a personal welcome to the book that both children and parents can enjoy. I wasn’t expecting the turn this story was going to make. The story starts off with a recipe, making it a great choice for young ones interested in how Sour Dough bread is made, or who are getting introduced to kitchen/cooking responsibilities. But as you progress, you realize that this story isn’t about making bread, but about the grief of losing a loved one. Nara tries to find a sense of normalcy and attempts to make bread on her own. This was such a special memory for her, and a way for her to cope with the loss of Papa. The symbolism of Paolo, her sourdough starter, being gone along with her Papa, really touched me. It was an impactful way to talk more about the loss Nara is experiencing without discussing it outright. This book was extremely moving, especially the illustrations of Papa’s spirit hugging both Nara, her mom, and their sour dough starter. This was a special tribute to the author's father, and brings the reader on a journey of facing grief and overcoming it, while still remembering who we lost.

This book surprised me, in a good way. I thought it was only going to be about baking. Very touching. I especially liked the author's note. This book could be used in a classroom to talk about family recipes and loved ones. I recommend it.

Viola is currently going through one of the hardest moments in her life. Ever worked so hard, you look back and question where did all of that work get me? Viola twin brother Sebastian ends up getting injured, he needs someone to take over her position at work. Who’s better to pick other than his twin sister.. no one will notice :) There seems to be these few workers who find (Sebastian) attractive.

I literally had so much fun reading this book, I had so many giggles and kept turning next page to next page. This writing style was so interesting. The timing in each paragraph was perfect! Thank you for putting out this funny Christmas story.

Thank you NetGalley & Keri Lane for the opportunity to read this Arc!

Book 149 of 350 ~ 2025

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I thought this was going to be a sweet book about a dad and his kid baking together....

And then it gutted me... right in the feels... *wails*

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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A beautiful story about traditions and celebrating them with your loved ones. I loved the message of the story and how Nara's mom gives her the space to continue on the traditions with her after her father is gone. It touched my heart that Nara took the step to continue with Bread Days and her mother joined her. A very beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy book about the shared experience of bread baking with a little girl and her father is suddenly shattered when her father dies. I was a bit jarred by how suddenly the father was gone, with no clear explanation. But then upon further reflection I realized that children who have experienced a sudden loss may see their own experience reflected in this. In many cases that could be a parent who suddenly dies in an accident or due to a heart attack. It could also be due to a child whose family is separated by immigration crackdowns.

The little girl and her mother learn to heal through doing their favorite activity that she shared with her papa: baking bread. This is a loving book, made even more special by the fact that the author was inspired by her own baking with her father who died. There is a recipe in the endpapers.

I recommend this for schools, libraries, and counselors.

Bread Days offers a tender look at the ways things change when we lose someone close to us. This book tells a story of grief beyond the vast, overall concept of loss and instead focuses on the relatively small, day to day, practical changes when a family is disrupted by loss. The metaphor of the health of the sourdough starter is particularly poignant.

Bread Days is a sweet story about a family's practice of making sourdough bread that instructs and informs and encourages the reader to enjoy the practice of working on a project with your loved one. The message that I took away is to share a process so everlasting memories can be formed. The illustrations are so charming and soft, which causes the reader to engage. The recipe is in the back for all to use to make their own bread. I enjoyed the story from the cover to the author's message about her past practice of making bread with her own Papa. I enjoyed this story very much.
Thank you to the author-illustrator, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review. This was a sweet heartwarming story!

My daughter says “5 stars! I loved it!”

An amazing book. A very heartwarming read that talks in a very sweet way about losing someone and the importance of keeping them in our lives, with the small things like making bread.

The illustrations are simply stunning, soft and detailed and add so much to the whole story, I would definitely suggest this book for kids around the age of 4

How sweet is this story? It made me tear up. It’s a reminder for us as care givers to take our time with our children. we are creating memories that will last a life time. It’s so special. So was this book! I’m a sourdough baker and my son got so excited to see them doing what we do when we bake! And so did I! It’s not often you see a book about sourdough for kids! We loved this book. I cannot wait to add it to our home library.

Thank you NetGalley, Hannah Chung and Astra Publishing House for the early copy!

Bread Days is a fantastic and heartwarming children’s book about a grandfather and granddaughter who bake sourdough together. I’m so thankful that I got to read this book with my son as I am a sourdough baker myself and was inspired to start since my father, also known as papa, is an avid baker. The little illustrations of notes around the kitchen and post it notes reminded me of him and made me teary eyed. Both myself and son enjoyed this story very much and the story and illustrations were beautiful. This is a great story to share with children so they may understand grieving of grandparents and family members and family traditions that are continued on in their honor.

Thank you to the author for sharing her story with us and thank you so much to NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t all the emotion! This touching story highlights the bond between father and daughter as they bake sourdough bread together. However, when Nara’s father passes away, Nara is saddened that there is no more bread being made and the kitchen is too neat. She decides to take out the sourdough starter (named Paolo) and to her dismay the starter isn’t active. The story ends with Nara and her mother baking some sourdough bread together and remembering Papa.

The illustrations are delightful and the story packs a lot of emotion for a picture book. The author’s note at the end left tears in my eyes. Grief is handled graciously and the author showcases a healthy way to navigate the emotion. This will be a delightful read aloud and might even open the conversation regarding loss of a loved one.

This book made my heart break and heal within a few pages. The story touches on grief for kids in a relatable way. It is not about how Papa passes, but it is about how to remember your loved one and find ways to keep traditions alive.
One note I had was I wish the author introduced Paolo a bit more. I would love to have seen Papa and Nara care for Paolo a bit more.
The illustrations are beautiful and I loved this book.

This is a fairly simple yet effective book for young readers. I will also say that I think this book adds something new to the world of kids' books, because not everyone has the idea to write about the comfort and familiarity of breadmaking. Another great thing about this story is that it has layers. On the surface there's baking, deeper there's loss of a loved one, and at its core this book is about connection and hope. While a young audience isn't going to analyze the book as much as I did, the layers of this book still matter and hold some sort of an impact on the reader, regardless of age. Lastly, the illustrations were truly spectacular, and I wouldn't change a single thing about this entire book, either writing- or drawing-wise. Bravo!!

This was a beautiful book full of tradition. I will definitely be sharing this with my students and also inspired me to make bread with them. I truly enjoyed it!

The love of baking bread and sharing the baking and the giving is a great gift that is passed on from one generation to the next. Learning to go on baking and giving is a great lesson, if a hard one.
The illustrations by the author are imaginative and tell much of the story in plump figures and muted colors.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and is a fine gift for anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from Astra Publishing House | Astra Young Readers via NetGalley. Pub Date Sep 30, 2025 @astrakidsbooks
#BreadDays by Hannah Chung @_hchung @childrensbookcouncil @goodreads #kidsbook #giving
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This is perfect! My daughter has recently started her reading journey, so I have added a few books to my ipad mini for her to read on kindle when on the go. The cover is so cute and I love the colors / illustrations! This was also a big hit with her since she has recently started baking bread with me! She feeds my starter everyday, and loves to give it fun little names.

Goodness gracious, I did not expect this to hit me with such feelings. I loved how personal this story was. Food has such a way of connecting with with other people and our memories.