Cooking Up Change: Grandma’s Recipes from a Year in Black History

This book is a blend of celebrating black history and family traditions. It is setup by month with each month highlighting a celebratory event from Black History, how it is celebrated, and Grandma Sahara’s recipe. Each month is a two-page spread with the text intertwined within color pictures. The recipe is framed on the right side and apart from the main picture and text. At the end of the text, there are six thumbnail sketches of prominent African Americans that extend the number of personalities already covered in the main text. The book is an homage to family, tradition, and Grandma Sarah (who instilled an awareness of African American history and a love of cooking).

Some luminaries are well-known, such as Martin Luther King Jr (featured in January, when his day is celebrated by all Americans). Others, such as Dorothy Hill, are not as well known. Hill effectively used sharing a meal to amalgamate the aims of the Civil Rights Movement. She also galvanized support for the March on Washington. She is featured in March, which honors International Women’s Day. The book is geared to fourth-grade readers and is recommended for those readers interested in African American history or cooking soul foods.