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From Horn Book

January 1, 2025
"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the penguin village ate cold fish." Umami, a brown and white penguin in a homogenous community, is bored with the monotonous meals of bland fish served in her colony. Craving new flavors, she sets off in a small fishing boat in search of more appetizing cuisines. Upon arriving in a different land, the penguin smells the aromas of unfamiliar foods. "'Oh, my sweet little beak!' said Umami. 'Nothing ever smelled so spectacular.'" She samples a smorgasbord of salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and spicy foods, as well as those with the "meaty and savory" flavor for which she's named. She hauls home a bounty of ingredients to introduce to her village and serves up a feast, which devolves into a humorous feeding frenzy. Grant's colored-pencil and oil pastel monoprint illustrations depict a penguin experiencing diversity in a populous land, home to numerous types of animals. As Umami leaves the humdrum of her village and travels abroad to experience the vibrancy of variety, the cool color palette simmers into a range of buttery yellows and chili reds. Umami's lively culinary exploration may stir curiosity in young foodies to venture beyond familiar comfort food. Emily Brush

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

October 1, 2024
Grades K-2 Certain that dinner could be more than just another cold fish, an adventurous penguin sets out to find a better menu. Sailing to strange new places, Umami savors every tang and texture of the strange foods she discovers. Determined to share these epicurean novelties, she returns to throw a huge banquet of diverse delicacies. Though Umami's a bit daunted when her feast seems to be serving up only chokes and sputters, the birds ultimately clamor for more. Triumphant, Umami dives into leading the flock to its next culinary adventure--reinventing that unappetizing dish of cold fish. Colored pencil outlines over soft textured fills animate a tastefully spare, varied world of cheerful critters preparing and sharing their favorite fare. The ever-amusing Grant's amiably goofy cartoon style flavors each moment of new taste sensations with eye-popping, endearing reactions. Just as the intrepid Umami savors her first-ever experience of the taste sensation for which she's named, even the pickiest kids will relish how this delectable adventure sets out the unpredictable fun and satisfaction of trying something new.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Kirkus

September 15, 2024
A penguin embarks on a culinary adventure. Tired of fish, fish, and more fish, a brown-and-white penguin named Umami declares, "I'm finished with all of it." She sails off in a little boat, eager for new gastronomic opportunities. Along the way, she discovers salty, sour, bitter, and sweet foods that tease her palate and evoke joy. She even comes across a savory flavor that bears her name (umami), along with the heat and vigor of spice. Determined to share her findings with her fellow penguins, she returns to her home shores full of ideas and motivation. But will the other penguins be as daring as she? "There's only one way to find out," she declares as she whips up dish after dish for her village, enticing them with delicious new smells. As they each take a bite, silence falls over the penguins, and Umami discovers one more thing--her new purpose and calling as a chef for her friends and family. Grant's spare text guides Umami through her journey, paired with a classic illustration style that alternates an ocean of white space with bold, textured backgrounds seasoned with red, green, and yellow, evoking Umami's culinary evolution. While readers might have some questions about the connection between the protagonist's name and the actual meaning ofumami, her experience will certainly inspire them to be similarly adventurous in their own eating habits. An epicurean tale of bravery and tasty discoveries.(Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from September 9, 2024
Limited culinary options create a path for exploration in this playful tale. Situated on a white snowbank against a deep blue sea, a penguin community eats cold fish at every meal (“For dessert? Cold fish. Your birthday? More cold fish”). When penguin Umami finds her birthday meal to be a fish too far, she raises her fork in defiance, announcing, “If there is more exciting food in this world, I will find it!” Crossing the ocean, she discovers a warm-hued sunbaked coast and streets crowded with animalian vendors and endless new foods; “Umami would eat it all.” She samples foods salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and “a taste that shared her name,” until encountering a spicy food suggests inspired next steps that take Umami’s findings home. Grant’s witty oil pastel monoprint and colored pencil art marries technique with expression to illustrate Umami as a happy-belly food bon viveur—sweetly wide-eyed with joy, wonder, and gustatory delight—forging a tasty path in a bountiful world. Ages 3–7.