Monsieur Thermidor: A Fantastic Fishy Tale

Monsieur Thermidor is the lobster famed among sea creatures for his cooking - until, one fateful day, he finds himself destined for the pot. He is rescued by a kindly chef named Henry and - since one good turn deserves another - reveals to Henry his celebrated recipe for seaweed soup. Henry's restaurant becomes the most popular in town - but soon all the other chefs are planning to steal the recipe...Richard Kidd's fantastic, fishy tale, illustrated with Lindsey Kidd's magical salt-dough models, are sure to delight young readers from shore to shore.

Grade 1-3AA tale about a restaurant-owning lobster named Monsieur Thermidor, who is caught and almost ends up as the main course at Chez Henry. When the chef is about to send Thermidor to his doom, he is moved by the crustacean's sad expression. Bubbles rise from the lobster's mouth to give the kindly man his secret seaweed soup recipe and Henry returns him to the sea. Rival chefs then try to steal the recipe, and this lobster hero traps them in a net. The book ends with Thermidor's new undersea restaurant, decorated with a photograph of a "netful of chefs." Sound fishy? Well, it is. The salt-dough, large-lipped sea creatures are not appealing or child friendly, and the text is heavy for the intended audience. The story line is unbelievable, and the characters are flat. For undersea adventures, stick with Marilyn Sadler's Alistair Underwater (S & S, 1990) or Leo Lionni's Swimmy (Knopf, 1963).ADeAnn Tabuchi, San Anselmo Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Electrically bright scenes of sea life populated by shapes made from salt-dough transform this somewhat perplexing story of a lobster chef into a charming entree, the first book from a husband-and-wife team. Monsieur Thermidor is a lobster who owns an underwater bistro: "Every evening, sea creatures swam from fathoms around to enjoy his famous seaweed soup." When he's caught, then purchased by a failing restaurateur, he looks so miserable that chef Henry decides not to kill him. The grateful lobster shares his Seaweed Soup recipe, saves the business and returns to the sea to open a new Chez Thermidor. Literal-minded youngsters may notice that the lobster's fishy friends are dead beside him in the store display, and may wonder whether or not Henry dares to serve seafood while the lobster Thermidor is in residence. Others will simply delight in the illustrator's comical, fashionable fish characters, her clever manipulation of perspective and her royal blue, goggle-eyed hero, dressed in a chef's hat. A recipe for salt-dough is included. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.