Top 5 Tuesday #58: Creatures & Food

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

Since I haven’t blogged much these past few weeks and didn’t post anything last week, I’ll double up in this post and include last week’s topic as well (because I really wanted to do it but couldn’t drum up the energy to do a post). But first —

This week’s topic:

Top 5 books with creatures on the cover

(Either mythical or real; what are 5 books with creatures on the cover, that you love??)

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I’ve decided to focus on children’s picture books for this category, so here are some recommendations for those of you who enjoy reading picture books (like me) or have kids.

The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais (illus.), transl. from the French by Jeremy Melloul

Inspired by Charles Perrault’s fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, this story is about a little wolf travelling through the woods in his red clock to bring some food for his grandmother who has lost all her teeth and can no longer hunt. It’s a sweet story with gorgeous illustrations, and the little wolf is adorable. It’s one of my favorites.

Lucy by Randy Cecil (illus.)

Another sweet tale I enjoyed that centers on friendship and family. This one is about girl named Eleanor who befriends a quirky stray dog and helps her father, a juggler, overcome his stage fright. I read it back in 2016 and have forgotten some details, but I recall that it was a fun read and I really liked the illustrations as well, which seem to have been done in pencil (that’s what I thought). I also liked that it’s about a kid from a single-parent household. Eleanor seems to live with only her father.

The Only Child by Guojing (illus.)

This one is such a cute, heartwarming story about a little girl who had quite the fantastical adventure when she got lost on the way to her grandmother’s house. It’s a wordless picture book, so readers have to pay attention to the illustrations to understand the story, and the illustrations are cute and seem magical. The story is inspired by the author’s experience growing up as an only child under the one-child policy in China during the 1980s.

Pandora by Victoria Turnbull

Although I gave this one a low rating when I read it, it’s a picture book I’d highly recommend. The story has a quite tone and is about a fox who lives alone and seems sad who begins to care for a bird. The two become friends, which helps the fox to feel less lonely. It’s a tender story that touches on how uplifting it can be to connect with others. The illustrations are great as well and have a softness to them that fits the tender tone of the story.

Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann (illus.)

This one is about the efforts of a mouse named Armstrong who wants to travel to the moon. Although the story was a bit dull to me, I like that it focuses on the character’s perseverance to reach his goal, and I appreciate the extra information about space at the end. The illustrations seem to be paintings, and I like how realistic they all seem.

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Last week’s topic:

Top 5 books with food on the cover

(Does food on the cover of books make you hungry?? What are your favourite cover designs with food on them?)

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Well, I work in a bookstore parttime and sometimes, I have to stock the cooking section. What I’ve learned from my experience doing so is — never stock the cooking section on an empty stomach. It’s torture.

Here are some cookbook covers that made my mouth water.

Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence by Claire Saffitz

Ugh! Every time I see that cover, I want a piece of the pie.

The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook: 500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well Without Meat by America’s Test Kitchen

I don’t even like vegetables, but UGH! Those tacos look delicious!

Good Housekeeping Instant Pot Cookbook: 60 Delicious Foolproof Recipes by Susan Westmoreland, Good Housekeeping

Ugh! I have no idea what’s in that pot, but I want it!

The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

I love bread. I LOVE bread! Seeing bread on anything immediately makes me hungry for it, and the one on this cover looks so light and fluffy, like a croissant. I want it!!

Pieometry: Modern Tart Art and Pie Design for the Eye and the Palate by Lauren Ko

Oh… I love this cover. It’s both pretty AND yummy!

The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out by Angela Liddon

Umm… this doesn’t make me hungry. It’s a bonus cover I included because I think it looks pretty.

(And now I need to eat something.)

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Let me know if you’ve read any of the picture books or used any of the cookbooks.

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