The Bread Pet
A Sourdough Story
by Kate DePalma
illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff
Barefoot Books, 2020. 36 pages.
Review written October 2, 2021, from my own copy, purchased via amazon.com
Starred Review
Here’s a fun story about a girl who’s given sourdough starter and told to feed it. They explain that the “bread pet” is alive and gets hungry twice a day. The friend forgot to tell her she could slow down the growth by putting it in the refrigerator.
So the bread pet grows and grows. She has to measure carefully to give it the right amount of flour and water. But soon there are more bread pets all over the kitchen. Time to bake some bread.
When even that doesn’t reduce the bread pet enough, the family thinks of a clever way to let the community center help spread the love.
The interracial family featured in this book has two moms and the illustrations are fun and whimsical with smiling bread pets taking over the kitchen. There’s a recipe for sourdough starter and sourdough bread at the back. There’s lots of math behind the scenes in this story and a graphic illustration of how doubling can quickly get out of hand.
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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