I absolutely loved this charming little story. This book stars a young Choctaw girl named Tana who loves to cook with her father. Tana and her friends are excited to try out for the school play, but her friend Ana be in the play and speak in front of people. Throughout the book, Tana struggles with a way to cheer up Ana and provide care for her, and it's a beautiful display of friendship between the girls. I also loved the relationships between Tana and her family, especially her dad! They cook together and talk about their Choctaw heritage throughout the story, which is wonderful. All in all, this is a heartwarming story, with beautiful illustrations, and engaging back matter. I would highly recommend this for younger age groups that are starting to branch into early chapter books!

‘Tana Cooks With Care’ by Stacy Wells is a delightful story that combines the joys of cooking with important lessons about kindness and care. The book follows Tana, a young chef with a passion for creating delicious meals and sharing them with others. Through her cooking adventures, Tana learns valuable lessons about empathy, responsibility, and the joy of giving.

Plot: ★★★★☆
The plot is engaging and heartwarming, focusing on Tana's culinary journey and the various ways she shows care through her cooking. The story is well-structured, with a clear progression from Tana's initial excitement about cooking to her realisation of the deeper meaning behind her actions. The narrative effectively balances the fun of cooking with the important themes of kindness and responsibility.

Character: ★★★★☆
Tana is a relatable and endearing character. Her passion for cooking and her thoughtful approach to sharing her creations with others make her a compelling protagonist. The supporting characters, including her family and friends, add depth to the story and highlight different aspects of Tana’s personality and growth. The character development is well-executed, making Tana’s journey both believable and inspiring.

Illustrations: ★★★★☆
The illustrations in ‘Tana Cooks With Care’ are vibrant and appealing, perfectly capturing the essence of Tana's culinary adventures. The artwork enhances the storytelling by visually representing the care and creativity involved in cooking. The colourful and detailed illustrations contribute significantly to the overall charm of the book.

Engagement: ★★★★☆
The book effectively engages readers with its combination of a relatable protagonist, an engaging plot, and beautiful illustrations. The themes of care and kindness resonate well, making the story both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Tana’s cooking adventures provide a fun and engaging context for exploring these important values.

Readability: ★★★★☆
‘Tana Cooks With Care’ is written in clear and accessible language, making it suitable for its target audience. The text is well-paced and complements the illustrations, ensuring that young readers can easily follow the story and understand its messages. The readability of the book enhances its appeal and makes it a great choice for reading aloud.

Enjoyment: ★★★★☆
Overall, ‘Tana Cooks With Care’ is an enjoyable and enriching read. Its engaging plot, relatable characters, and beautiful illustrations combine to create a delightful experience for readers. The book’s emphasis on kindness and care through cooking provides a meaningful and enjoyable story that will resonate with children and their families.


‘Tana Cooks With Care’ by Stacy Wells is a charming and meaningful book that combines the joy of cooking with important life lessons. With its engaging plot, relatable characters, and vibrant illustrations, the book offers a delightful reading experience that highlights the values of kindness and responsibility. It's a wonderful addition to any child’s library and a great choice for families looking to share a heartwarming story.

I love the fact that our libraries are beginning to acknowledge and include different cultures in our books. It's so important for our children.

Not only does Tana enjoy cooking, but she loves cooking authentic cultural dishes.

This was adorable! I'm so excited for the whole series to be available for young readers.

Love the Choctaw rep and the subtle focus on STEM.

Tana Cooks with Care is a book for early readers to KS2 children (ideally).
It has a well-structured story, is inclusive, accessible, relatable, has lovely pictures and recipes.
We wish it had been a bit longer.

Tana Cooks with Care is a very sweet start to a lovely new early reader chapter book series! Geared toward early elementary-age kids, the book features a wholesome story, cooperative problem-solving, and lots of bonuses in the back. My kids enjoyed seeing the recipes mentioned in the story, discussion questions, activity suggestions, and glossary. I highly recommend this series for newer readers and families to enjoy together!

Thank you to Capstone for gifting my family with an ARC to review! All opinions are our own.

Tana is so excited about the second grade play and can't wait to audition. One of her best friends, Ana, is scared and doesn't want to be in the play even though it's required. Tana looks for a way to cheer up her friend and decides to cook some things for her since she shares her love of cooking with her dad. Will Tana be able to help cheer up Ana? Will she get the part in the school play? A cute book that introduces a little bit of Choctaw culture and follows friends as they face an unexpected obstacle.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really loved this one! Such a sweet story with beautiful illustrations. It discusses friendship, cooking and the Choctaw culture. I didn't realize it was part of a series but I'd love to read the others. I loved the inclusion of the recipes!

The book beautifully integrates Choctaw culture, providing educational insights through recipes and a glossary. The stunning illustrations bring the vibrant scenes and characters to life, making the story visually captivating. This book is a wonderful blend of storytelling, cultural education, and artistic brilliance, perfect for young readers. Highly recommended for schools, libraries, and home collections!

This fabulous tale with stunning illustrations focuses on friendship, cooking, and the Choctaw culture. Part of a lovely series -- with recipes! -- for readers 5-8.

This story was very clever and perfect for younger readers. This is part of a series and I’m sure the others are just as great as this one. Tana is in second grade who helps her friend overcome the nerves of a school play.

It was so enjoyable getting Tana’s cultural background in this book and I feel like I learned more about the Chactow. I also loved the bond between these girls and how supportive they were with one another. This book was clever with the illustrations and recipes, I’m sure a young reader will adore this book!

🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬🎭🎬

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

This is an adorable middle school grade, chapter book about Tana who is in 2nd grade. This time they will do a school play and Tana is excited, but not everyone like to be on stage, like Ana!

Through the book we learn more about Tana who have roots from the Chactow, the native Americans, and her friends, Ana and Lola.

It was enjoyable to learn something from Chactow culture and see them portrayed in a children's book is good. Make them visible and relevant, I love that.
The friendship between the girls were nice and important. When Ana doesn't wanna try out for the play, both Tana and Lola are supportive and encouraging that Ana should do something she likes and that may be backstage stuff like painting!
I like the understanding friendship between kids and its very educational to.

I received this e-arc from NetGalley in exchange to give an review. All opinions here, are my own.

This book warmed my heart like a cozy hug! 📚❤️

It emphasizes the importance of friendship bonds for kids. Tana's unwavering support for Ana, seeking advice from others, is heartening. It's empowering to see Ana encouraged to pursue her passions over conforming to discomfort. 🌟

Plus, the Choctaw culture showcased in the story adds rich layers of beautiful words and indigenous lore, which I absolutely cherish. 🌾

And let's talk about the illustrations—WOW! 🎨 From the vibrant food to the captivating scenes and characters, Maria's artwork is simply mesmerizing! 🖼️✨

This was beautiful. The book illustrations are stunning 😍 with the all the colours. Loved the food recipes at the end.

This is truly a fun read. I loved learning with Tana about the culture and recipe of the Choctaw Nation. I also enjoyed seeing the friendship between Tana, Lola, and Ana. I just wished there's more illustrations here since the illustrator really did a great job.

Appreciated the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Thought it was a lovely, accessible, well-crafted read for the target age range that had a good balance of story and illustration. Great way to share Choctaw culture, approach age relevant topics (e.g. preferences, strengths, nerves, food allergies), and give some nice nuggets of insight. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

The most heartwarming book I’ve read in a long while!

Friendship bonds are really important to highlight for kids, and the way Tana never have up on helping Ana eland reached out for advice from those around her before figuring things out. I love that the story encourages Ana to do what she loves instead of what she’s uncomfortable with.. I learned beautiful words and stories from the Choctaw culture, which I truly value in a book; indigenous lore.

Now the illustrations are a whole other story, simply, WOW! The food, scenes, and characters are illustrated to keep you hooked and ready for more colorful pictures. Maria did an amazing job, as always!

This was a super cute & fast read! The illustrations were phenomenal! I loved how it has small recipes in the back because I could see myself reading this with my younger sister & her wanting to make those after. I enjoyed the inclusivity as its something you dont see much of in childrens books!

Absolutely adorable. Will be buying for my niece and nephew. Illustrations were beautiful and it does a wonderful job of introducing kids to other cultures via something that’s already familiar! How do we eat? Kids will love.

I love seeing books about kids and cooking, it's a great way to share culture, and family traditions. This was a fun read and I can think of several kids I'd recommend it to.