I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

What a fun look at common spices and how they have been used and valued over the years! We take things like salt and pepper like they are easy, common and therefore boring when in fact they are amazingly helpful things. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to cook, is into history or just likes to know new things.

Aimed at middle grade readers, this illustrated nonfiction book makes learning about spices and plants fun! Even as an adult reader. I learned bits and pieces about garlic, tea, coffee. sugar, and more. The illustrations were so fun and the information was clearly presented. I enjoyed this!

I learned so much from this children's book! The author combined just the right amount of historical, scientific, and cultural information for each ingredient in this book. I especially enjoyed the orgin stories and random facts about the ingredients. The illustrations are eye-catching, full-page beauties. They include the plants and processes that produce the various food items, as well as depictions of the people and cultures where they orginate. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in food or the history of food.

I access to an advance reader's copy of “Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice: All the Flavors of the World” by Jacques Pasquet from NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review, and my honest opinion is that this is a fabulous book.

“Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice,” by Jacques Pasquet is an excellent tour of the seasonings that make our foods taste so yummy. Pasquet starts with the historical importance of both salt and pepper, then expands into other ways that we add to the taste of our food. Each exploration is a story in itself, filled with important facts about the history and culinary uses of the seasoning.

The illustrations by Claire Anghinolfi invite the reader to explore the landscape of the page, searching for more clues about the substance being discussed.

This is a great book for children interested in history or cooking. It’s also fantastic for adults interested in the same. There is nothing like a quality children’s book to get a reader into a new area for exploration. “Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice” is one of those books.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jacques Pasquet wrote this picture book for middle school-aged children, and it is delightful! The book focuses on the social and scientific uses of a select number of spices, along with salt, coffee, tea, and peppers—both sweet and hot. The author included some fascinating tidbits of information on each, including cultural and historical data. The text was so interesting that I simply couldn’t stop reading the book.

As I was reviewing this book, it dawned on me that I had finally found my all-time favorite children’s book illustrator. Claire Anghinolfi is absolutely spectacular! She works using gouache, and her art is phenomenal. Every single part of this book was illustrated. Every. Single. Space. All I can say is that her art is 100% breathtaking. When I ordered this book, I was drawn to the cover. But when I opened the book up, I actually fell into it.

The author included both a glossary and an index for easier use. This book will be a quick read for middle schoolers. But it will also be a fascinating one. The tidbits of information and the generous use of fine art and vivacious pops of color will keep any reader hanging on for more. I absolutely recommend this book and believe that it will accrue a large number of fans in the future!

I received an ARC of “Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice: All the Flavors of the World” by Jacques Pasquet from NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice: All the Flavors of the World focuses on the history of seasonings and their flavors.

The Sections are:
sweet or spicy?
salt
pepper
Chili pepper
mustard
ginger
sugar
Cinnamon
vanilla
chocolate
Coffee
Tea

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and they enhance the information of the book. You learn about the different types of salt and seasoning and the history behind them. It is very informative in a comprehensive way perfect for a children’s book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice is a visually stunning and educational exploration of the spices we can sometimes find in our pantry. The book’s rich graphics bring each spice to life, making the information both engaging and informative. It offers a wealth of knowledge about the origins and uses of various spices, which even seasoned cooks may find eye-opening. Ideal as a gift for young aspiring chefs, this book also serves as a valuable resource in educational settings, fostering a deeper understanding of the diverse world of spices.

A great resource book for homeschoolers or classrooms!

I really enjoyed this book and all of the colourful illustrations and will probably purchase a hardcopy myself once the book is out.

The spices are laid out in beautiful illustrations showing how they are grown, harvested and the practical uses of them. I just wish there were more in the book!

A straightforward, beautifully illustrated text on the flavors all around us. This would be wonderful as a school assignment complete with a tasting day!

An interesting and historical read about the history of spices, and the idea that salt was once used as currency. I liked the illustrations and the history of world travel and explorers. This is great for a social studies lesson!

There was a lot of good information packed into this book, but there wasn't too much which is perfect. It allows readers to remain engaged while still getting a lot out of the book. All of the illustrations complemented the information well, and showed all of the spices in a fun yet still accurate way. The way the illustrator captured the natural beauty of each spice was highly impressive; bravo!
While majority of the book was phenomenal, filled with fun facts, and completed with great drawings, it felt like the book ended super abruptly. I would have appreciated just one page of conclusion, saying something about traveling the world through spices or something similar. The book stopped so quickly, and it confuses the reader very much. It definitely makes *something* about the book feel out of place.

Nicely done book about seasonings that is informative but doesn't overwhelm. I think that this would be great as a reference book in a school library for elementary kids (mainly) and maybe middle schoolers. I think that some of the language and information is a bit dense for younger children, especially as a read aloud or story time book, but it has all the markings of a great volume for teachers to use as an aid. I learned new things about each of the spices and seasonings captured in the book, and I was happy to expand my horizons. I know that a quick Google search would have produced similar information had I been looking, but I wasn't until I dove in here.

The illustrations are helpful and mainly there to break. up the text. But the text is definitely the important part. A few instances where things did not flow as well due to layout, because I realized partway that I was reading the flow wrong in some sections.

All in all, full of information in smaller digestible snippets and a great way to learn about other cultures, food, countries, etc.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun and informative book about the various spices used around the world. The drawings were a nice touch and I liked that each section show how the spices are harvested and start from whole bean, seed, etc… to the finished product.

This was such a fun and informative read! If you’re always in the kitchen like me, you’ll enjoy learning all about the different ingredients we use on a daily basis! The illustrations are so interesting and eye catching, so it made go an equally enjoyable read for my kiddo. This was such a nice break in between my traditional novel arcs. Thank you so much, NetGalley! 💖

What a neat and fun way to learn about spices [I even learned things I never knew before so YAY!!!]!! Everyone who reads this will learning something new [and will perhaps have littles and their adults searching their own kitchens for the spices and seasonings mentioned here] and the colorful illustrations just add to the story and will spark good conversations about these spices and just what they add to the food we eat.

Just fantastic. I highly recommend this one!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jacques Pasquet, Ann Marie Boulanger - Translator, Claire Anghinolfi - Illustrator, and Orca Book Publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to the world of spices, condiments, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, tea. Learn about the history, appearance, characteristics, origin, and uses of each followed by a glossary and index.
Translated from the French by Ann Marie Boulanger.
The finely detailed illustrations by Claire Anghinolfi are brilliantly colored, realistic, and meaningful.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age (not just middle grade) including ESL, and great for gifting, but especially to a school, or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary digital advance review copy on Adobe Digital Editions from
Orca Book Publishers via NetGalley. Thank you! Pub Date Oct 15, 2024
#CanadianAuthor/Translator/Illustrator #STEAM #nonfiction

Thank you Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This book teaches children about the most common spices and flavouring grown around the world and found in almost every home. Colorful illustrations and well written descriptions make this easy to follow book a great read for upper elementary students. I would love to see another volume with some other plants, herbs, and spices such as garlic, horseradish, wasabi, soy, mint, etc.

This is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that teaches about common flavorings from around the world like ginger, vanilla, salt, pepper, tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate.

Despite the fact that these are all plants grown outside of the UK or continental United States and the fact that the illustrations all depict people of color growing, picking and processing them, it has a very Eurocentric, white feel. At one point it mentions that “a young slave” determined why vanilla beans weren’t being pollinated and led to it being able to be grown all over, but this felt really tone deaf like it was a sweet thing that an enslaved boy discovered this really important part of the plant’s nature that just helped rich enslavers exploit even more. There’s also a lack of flavors that people other than Brits and Americans enjoy, such as sumac and wasabi. Many other flavors are lacking as well, like garlic, soy sauce, horseradish or any herbs.

All that said, it’s a deep dive into how these plants are grown and processed with a lot of information without being overwhelming.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

For those who want to know everything, what a fun read. I love all the illustrations, and anything that gets me one step closer to winning trivia night is essentially a five-star read for me.

3.5 stars. This J nonfiction is appropriate for upper elementary readers. The writing is smooth and easy to follow-- although the translation uses a number of terms that are British English instead of American English (caster sugar, icing sugar, etc.), so younger readers might need some support in places. I couldn't identify what the organization method is-- assuming there is one, which might be incorrect. Adding an obvious organization element (presented in order by oldest recorded use, or grouped by global point of origin, for example) is appropriate for the age group and would have added an extra component.

The illustrations are soft and lovely-- two thumbs up.

eARC from NetGalley.