Cooking Up Memories

In twelve days on December 31, 2019 at midnight, this decade will come to a close. To say the world and its inhabitants have seen monumental changes in these ten years is truly an understatement. From the individual to the global level and everything in-between, there have been heartbreaking setbacks and soul-soaring achievements, great sadness and glorious happiness.

A new year is a time to remember, reflect and refine.  It is a time to honor the past and embrace the future.  Freedom Soup (Candlewick Press, December 10, 2019) written by Tami Charles with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara is certain to have readers recalling their family histories and favorite soup recipes and how the two mix to make memories passed from generation to generation.

Today is New Year's Day.  This year, I get to help make Freedom Soup.

The child's grandmother, Ti Gran, believes she has a gift for cooking.  Winter is wrapping the outside world in cold and snow.  Inside warmth spreads throughout Ti Gran's kitchen as music, Haitian kompa, fills the air with its rhythmic sounds.  The two dance in shared affection for each other and the meal they are making.

Belle and Ti Gran combine a mixture of herbs and marinate the meat.  Together they raise up the boiled pumpkin and remove the skin.  Vegetables are peeled and pared.  Belle adds them to the pot with the pumpkin and the now browned meat.  As the ingredients simmer and are stirred, Ti Gran begins a story, the story of Freedom Soup.

Her grandmother speaks of slavery in Haiti.  The Haitians labored in the relentless sun where sugarcane, coffee and vegetables grew.  They made soup for the masters but were not allowed to eat it.  It was only for the free to consume.

After years and years of slavery, the people fought for years to regain their freedom.  In celebration of their new independence, they made and ate Freedom Soup.  As the two start to dance reliving the freedom their ancestors won, Belle adds pasta to the soup.  Later, a host of relatives gather at Ti Gran's marveling at the soup and savoring the stories.


Author Tami Charles shares her special recipe for storytelling in this narrative.  Her ingredients, lush descriptions of setting and rich verbs, create a delectable and sensory experience for readers. The inclusion of dialogue elevates her first-person perspective as told by Belle.  Here is a passage.

Outside, snow is piling,
cottony-thick.  Inside, warm,
sweet air flows.

Haitian kompa pours
through the speakers.  The
shake-shake of maracas
vibrates down to my toes.

Ti Gran's feet tap-tap to
the rhythm.


When you first look at the open, matching dust jacket and book case, the front, on the right, is shouting out absolute bliss.  The bright, bold complementary colors heighten the movements of Ti Gran and Belle.  The swirl of their clothing, their upraised and bent arms and toe-tapping feet invite, no demand, you walk right into that scene and join them!

To the left, on the back, a circular image is placed on a golden brush-stroked canvas.  It is an image from Ti Gran's story of the revolt of the slaves for freedom.  This dust jacket and book case show us the celebration and the historical basis for it, generation after generation.

There is a tiny floral pattern in two-tone hues of pumpkin on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, a kneeling Ti Gran is placing an apron over the head of Belle before they begin cooking in her kitchen. Rendered

in pencil, marker, and gouache
and assembled digitally

these illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara are vibrant double-page pictures, page edge to page edge, insets placed between text on crisp white with a vivid sky-blue border, single-page images, page edge to page edge and single-page visuals framed in white space.

Each picture is brimming with cultural and historical details, movement, the aroma of the soup and the wondrous pleasure Belle and her Ti Gran feel when they are together.  When the story is being told, Jacqueline Alcantara places Ti Gran, Belle or the soup in part of the picture, a combination that brings the past into the present.  Readers will enjoy the shifts in perspective and how it contributes to the pacing and emphasizes specific moments.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the text above noted.  It is a double-page picture.  On the left in the background through the kitchen windows, we can see a city white with snow and chilly blue with cold.  A counter stretches beneath the windows to the refrigerator on the right. A radio on the counter is playing the Haitian kompa. Another counter moves from the left edge of the page, crosses the gutter and ends on the bottom of the right side.  This counter is filled with ingredients for the soup.  Ti Gran is holding a carrot in her left hand and stirring something in a bowl with her right hand.  On the right Belle is standing on a chair dancing and shaking a spice shaker.  Behind her is the refrigerator, magnets on the top portion, pictures, treasured items, a few pieces of art and a plant.  This scene reminds us of the importance of making our own happiness whenever we can.


This book, Freedom Soup written by Tami Charles with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara, is a story of tasting triumph each and every year.  It is about family, remembering from where we've come and as Ti Gran says:

"Oh, Belle.  Nothing in this world is free, not even freedom."

At the close of the book, the author includes a recipe for Freedom Soup and an author's note.  Both are wonderful and informative.  I can't imagine a professional or personal library without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Tami Charles has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  The cover for this title was revealed at Latinxs in Kid Lit.  You can view interior images at the publisher's website, at Penguin Random House and at the publisher's Facebook account.

For The Very First Time-Reflections on NerdCampMI 2016

In July of 2013 when the first nErDcampMI  convened, I was there.  I was there at least an hour late in the morning, making the four hour drive from northern Michigan but not quite myself, still recovering from the trauma of an accident two months earlier which totaled my car.  By the time I arrived the woman who was watching my beloved dog had left six messages on my phone, panicked because she could not get in the house.  For some reason the code on the door was not working for her.  With this issued finally resolved I attended the morning sessions; first a gathering of teacher librarians and then another taught by Donalyn Miller and Suzanne Gibbs on integrating technology into our classrooms.

As everyone left for lunch, I found myself sitting alone in an area reflecting on what I had heard.  I knew for those brief hours, I had been part of something big that was going to grow.  I also knew someone I had loved for years needed me more.  I quietly gathered my things and left without saying a word.  I wish I would have said good-by to some cherished and new friends but the urgency to get home was strong.  The welcome I received upon my arrival in Charlevoix told me I had made the right decision.  I never left Xena again for the next two years and four months.

When talk of nErDcampMI 2016 began circulating on social media, I wanted to be there.  It was time to connect with people who I only knew virtually but felt like lifelong friends.  We had conversed on the telephone, through email, messages on Twitter and Facebook and in scores of posts.  These people held (hold) the same passion for children and students, books, reading, writing and children's literature I do.

This adventure, nErDcampMI 2016, began Sunday July 10th in the morning and finished Wednesday morning July 13th.  The entire event came full circle at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  Nothing will ever duplicate the series of firsts I experienced over these days.

• To meet author Victoria J. Coe in person was astonishing; this woman who has talked, written and supported me for more than a year, this woman who knows and understands the hearts of dog lovers and this woman who knows dogs, oh so well, is full of energy until she is not. (I swear she is part canine.) Her love of writing and her books lights up a room whenever she enters.  To have been her roommate is beyond wonderful.
• To meet educator Melissa Guerrette, to chat with her to and from the airport, on our rides to nErDcamp and other events was a gift.  You should ask her about her summer program. 
• To share conversations, meals and company with the Boston bunch and those other wicked New Englanders and a delightful Canadian, Jason Lewis, Lesley Burnap, Josh Funk, Erika Victor, Melanie Colangelo Roy and Debbie Ohi Ridpath was soul-lifting.  I'll never look at a Big Boy the same way again.
• By late afternoon on Sunday the group more than doubled as others arrived to share another meal and children's literature chats; to see and meet all these people in person is beyond description.  I soaked it up like a proverbial sponge.
• On Monday morning looking around the gymnasium as the numbers continued to grow, filling the bleachers, floor and balcony, I could feel my heart swelling at the thought of all these committed people coming together.  Every single person on the stage, tiny Heidi thanking all of us for the gift of books, Kathy Burnette, Teri Lesesne, Pernille Ripp, Raina Telgemeier and Donalyn Miller told truly poignant stories.  That they shared them for the good of the cause is the most touching thing of all.  When Kate DiCamillo walked in, the room exploded in applause.  I will remember her story because of the rock with the thumbprint hole and the green and white checked towel; her attention to details, the sense of realism, goes straight to your heart.
• Betsy Bird, Travis Jonker and Minh Le challenged us all to look at the impact of social media and blogging.  I loved knowing about their favorite books.
• Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner took us back to 9/11 recreating their writing process; a journey in research and emotional connections.  I deeply value conversations had with both of them outside this presentation.
• I had never heard my friend John Schumacher speak but let me tell you; don't ever miss a chance to hear this man talk about books, reading or libraries.  He is witty, wise and completely passionate about children's literature.  Everyone left the room energized.  The chats with Kate Beasley and Kate DiCamillo at the end were an unexpected memorable bonus.
• Sometime during the day, Deborah Freedman and I approached each other and met for the first time.  We have conversed online and over the phone but never before in person.  I know I have hugged every single one of her books after I have read them.  I am sincerely thankful to have had this opportunity.
• I think Jess Keating and I might have yelled when we saw each other for the first time and hugged each other in appreciation. 
• In the late afternoon and evening the cafeteria filled with authors and illustrators and people seeking to get books signed and even briefly exchange sentences with them.  I tried to thank all of them for their contribution to children's lives through their books.  The room was super-charged.  I am grateful to Nora Raleigh Baskin, Gae Polisner, Greg Pizzoli, Aaron Zenz, John Davidson Anderson, Kate Hannigan, Melanie Conklin, Josh Funk, and Jen Bishop for signing books for me and taking the time to talk.
• I want to thank one very special new young author not only for his book, but for a story he shared with me.  I asked him about a bracelet he was wearing made of colored beads.  It's really a necklace made by his young son which he wraps around his wrist.  His son made two, one for him and one for himself.  It's to remind Minh Le when they are apart of the love connection they share.  When they chat face to face online they wave their fingers to recharge the power held in those bracelets.  Oh my goodness... ♥♥♥  
• And the day was not over yet as hundreds filled a hall for the Nerdy Dinner...
• On Tuesday I lead a morning session, Be The Pebble School Libraries Sharing Best Practices.  It was a pleasure to see the faces of friends I had met previously and those I only knew online.  Thank you to each one of you who contributed in the conversations and to those of you who came up to talk with me after the session.  If anyone would like more specifics about anything feel free to send me a message on Twitter.
• Sharing lunch with friends John Schumacher and Lauren Castillo (nearly in tears when I first saw her Sunday night) was one of those pinch-me moments.  Their dedication to their work, to everything they believe in, is genuine.  I have a feeling the best is yet to come.
• In the afternoon I had the distinct privilege to read a Nerdy Book Club post with Victoria J. Coe and then one of my own for possible broadcast on the new Nerdy Book Club podcast.  It's an experience I won't forget.  I am sending thanks to the patient and knowledgeable Kevin Carlson. (For the life of me, pronouncing typography gave new meaning to tongue-tied.) 
• You can't leave the session lead by Tony Keefer on March Madness without being fired-up for this event.  
• Just when you think it couldn't get any better, it did.  Hundreds of students came to nErDcamp Jr. (700?).  Authors/illustrators and volunteers talked, laughed and worked from 5:30-8PM.  I had the honor of working in the room with writer Deborah Hopkinson.  I have admired her books, especially her picture books for years.  After her presentation, I know I need to go read some of her middle grade books.  She makes you hungry for history.  Her writing exercise was profound and moving.
• When the big thunderstorm hit everyone kept on talking and listening and participating but I did hear that the students in Victoria J. Coe's presentation on POV started barking like dogs when the thunder came.  
• And how often do you leave nErDcamp MI with a rainbow hanging in front of the school.  It was a superb closing to a superb event.
• I won't forget those small conversations had with people I have not named, I see your faces and I remember.  I am grateful for those moments with each of you.
• Most of all I can't express enough my supreme gratitude to a couple who had a dream and made it come true, Alaina and Colby Sharp.  You and your team have made a difference in thousands of lives.  I love you both.