The Best Chef in Second Grade

I love these books..and so does my grandson. Illustrations are good and so are the stories.

Everyone in Ollie's class was the best at something, but he just didn't seem to stand out in anything to be "the best" in. One day, Mr. Hopper their second grade teacher announced that Chef Antonia was coming to the class. That was great news because everyone in the class had seen her on TV and Ollie just LOVED her! "She threw food in the air. She set desserts on fire." Talk about a fun show. The assignment was that everyone had to cook their "Family Favorite" as a special treat for Chef Antonia. Ollie loved everything about cooking so that assignment would be a snap! Or so he thought . . . His mother, father, sister Rosy and he tried, but couldn't figure out what was the "Family Favorite." Ollie was getting upset because no one could agree and Chef Antonia was coming to class very soon. Miguel, Luna, Nina, Sam and Sophie all had their selections, but not Ollie. He asked his family again about their favorite foods. Mom said, "I like macaroni." Dad said, "Cheese." Rosy said, "Macaroni and cheese . . . but only if it has a face." Now Ollie knew what he was going to make and hopefully Chef Antonia would think it wasn't too silly. Every child has something they are good at and, like everyone else, Ollie wanted to be the best at something. This book had a nice flow to it, a touch of humor and a lot of fun. The illustrations were colorful and lent a lot to the mood of the story. This is a Level 2 "I Can Read!" book in which the student will be able to read most of the story with a bit of help now and then. The story is very interesting and will easily pull the student to the end of the book. Do you have someone in your house or classroom who wants to be the best at something?

Reviewed by Avery McGinn (age 7) for Reader Views (9/08) "The Best Chef in Second Grade" by Katharine Kenah is about a boy named Ollie who loves to cook. He needs to find out what his family's favorite meal is for a school project. Ollie's family can't all agree on one meal so he figures out a different way to do his school project. My favorite part of the book is when Ollie describes Chef Antonia, the famous chef who visits his class. The illustrations make cooking look like so much fun! If I were going to make my family's favorite meal, I would have to do what Ollie did in this book because my family can't agree on just one dish either. This story was pretty neat. I think it would be fun to have a famous chef visit and give me cooking lessons. "The Best Chef in Second Grade" by Katharine Kenah is a great story for kids!