A Feast of Freedom: Tasty Tidbits from City Tavern - Hardcover

Staib, Walter; Fox, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0762435984 ISBN 13: 9780762435982

Publisher: Running Press Kids, 2010

Synopsis

Next to the Liberty Bell and the Rocky Statue, the City Tavern is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Philadelphia. This informative picture book, told from the point of view of a mischievous mouse, is designed to allow readers a behind-the-scene-look at the history surrounding this important American landmark.

Readers will get a glimpse of what it was like to go out to dinner in the 18th century, when meals included dancing, merriment, and twenty different dishes! From the celebration of the first official Independence Day to the post-Constitutional Convention, the Tavern has hosted of many of America’s biggest celebrations. Over the centuries many famous diners have had a meal at City Tavern including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and various other political leaders.

A recipe for the Tavern’s authentic corn bread, as well as a timeline of the important events surrounding the City Tavern’s rich past are included.

About this title

About the Author

Walter Staib is a renowned chef, who has won many prestigious awards including the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole de la République Française. He is the author of multiple cookbooks, his most recent being The City Tavern Cookbook, and he also stars in the corresponding CN8 television show, World Cuisine of the Black Forest.

Fernando Juarez has illustrated several picture books for various Spanish publishers. He is also one of the contributing animators for Planet 51 the new 3-D movie coming out from Sony pictures in November, 2009. He lives with his wife and three children in Spain.

Reviews

Gr 3-6–The City Tavern, a pedigreed Philadelphia institution, bore witness to much of the behind-the-scenes wrangling and politicking of a country on the verge of independence. When all those intense and heady days at Carpenters' Hall and the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) came to a close, it was to the City Tavern that people headed to eat, drink, gossip, and hash things over. This book's initial, chronological spreads cover the building's conception, the basic floor plans, the importance of its location to both trade and politics, and how people ate, partied, did business, and kept up with the news in the late 1700s. Later spreads describe the building's historical connections. Paul Revere's ride, both Continental Congresses, the Declaration of Independence, Washington's meeting with Lafayette, the first Independence Day, and the writing of the Constitution are a few of the commemorated events. Closing pages include a recipe for corn bread, a time line, and an update on the City Tavern as it now stands. A Disneyesque mouse in a tricornered hat leads readers through the pages, adding a touch of humor with brief quips in speech bubbles. The figures in the full-color illustrations are slightly out of focus, as if viewed through a long lens. The text is set on one side of each spread, often on a parchmentlike background. The map on the endpapers locates the City Tavern in old Philadelphia, and a foreword provides context. Add this title for a fresh look at a requisite time in U.S. history.Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Running Press Kids
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0762435984
• ISBN 13: 9780762435982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Juarez Fernando
• Number of pages: 48