Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites ~ by Jamie Michalak and Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Yuko Jones, 2021, children's picture book, 40 pages, 9/10
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners ~ by Joanna Ho, 2021, illustrated by Dung Ho, 2021, children's picture book, 40 pages
As a child and adult, Niki faced many naysayers in her pursuit of haute cuisine. Using the structure of a traditional kaiseki meal, the authors playfully detail Niki's hunger for success in thirteen "bites" ― from wonton wrappers she used to make pizza as a kid to yuzu-tomatillo sauce in her own upscale Los Angeles Michelin-starred restaurant, n/naka. To anyone who tells her a woman can't be a master chef, Niki lets her food do the talking ― and oh, does it talk. Niki was featured on the first season of Netflix's culinary documentary series Chef's Table. And Chrissy Teigen proclaimed that Niki's restaurant was one of her absolute favorites. She's currently a featured teacher on MasterClass. A smart, strong woman with starpower, Niki is only just getting started.
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers' eyes. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment.
A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables) ~ by Alix E. Harro, 2021, science fiction, 126 pages
It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
Blob ~ written and illustrated by Anne Appert, 2021, children's picture book, 40 pages
A humorous picture book featuring a blob (n. a creature that can be anything they want) about embracing who we are and the many things we can be. Blob is a creature of indeterminate kind. Blob can be a giraffe, cotton candy, and even an octopus. It’s not until a certain someone continuously calls them “Bob” that Blob starts to question who they really are. After a series of funny yet enlightening discoveries about all the possible things they can be, Blob realizes that the best thing to be is . . . Blob. (With the L.)
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