I received access to a preview copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

An Indigenous child explores their family’s history and culture as they help create their grandfather’s favourite meal.

I think this picture book will be well received. I enjoyed the illustration style quite a bit. The bright colours help make the illustrations very appealing, and the characters are very cute.

The story was alright. Not exactly an exciting plot, but one I’m sure many readers can relate to. The child and their grandmother create her grandfather’s favourite meal, and through the various traditional ingredients explore their culture and history. One thing I liked was how they used the traditional words for foods in the text, interspersed with the English translations, to explain the meanings. It flowed well, as opposed to having to flip back and forth to a glossary, or have text inserts on the page.

Book 072 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟💫

This book was really beautifully illustrated and had a great story behind it...however, it didn't get the full five star as the white fonts on faint backgrounds did me in... sad..

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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This Indigenous Canadian picture book shows the relationship between a child and their grandma and how cooking brings people and culture together. While reading this story to my little one, I was brought back to my own childhood, when I had maple popsicles on a stick in winter, picked berries with family, and had sizeable extended family meals.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing this arc.

I love the concept of food connecting us to our past and present. I think most people can relate to that feeling. This was such a unique culture and perspective, it really drew me in. I also thought the illustrations were fantastic and captured the feeling of the story. I gave it a four star because I wish there had been a glossary in the back for some of the more uncommon words. Not having a quick reference took me out of the story a few times. Other than that, fantastic book!

A beautiful book! The art was gorgeous and the story had a lovely way of looking to the past, present, and future simultaneously. Every culture has ties to food and these ties can provide a great pathway for empathy, especially for kids. I love the info and recipe in the back matter!

Our Ancestors' Kitchen is a captivating read, for kids! I love how the book uses vibrant illustrations to make it easier for children to understand the significance of food in culture. It’s a wonderful way to teach kids about the connection between family traditions, both past and present.

This book beautifully highlights how food is a vital part of our heritage and helps children connect with their roots.

A big thank you to NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I loved this! The little girl in the story is making a dish from her culture (I’m still not sure what it’s called but I desperately wanting to eat it), and along the way, the child pictures her ancestors gathering the ingredients or explored memories about those foods (like maple taffy!). Though the book doesn’t explicitly say, I think the Indigenous words included are from the Objibwe tribe (based on my googling, at least).

This is a great book for anyone and can either act as a mirror for Indigenous people or a window for those who don’t know much about the culture. When I read books from cultures other than my own, I tend to adore the ones that include language and food as they feel like the backbone of a culture and this book has that. It also includes a recipe in the back for soapberry ice cream, and now I need to figure out where to find fresh soapberries.

I also adored the way the animal spirits were drawn. They looked magical with their intricate details and blue hue. It definitely added to the sense of respect of plants and animals that this book conveyed.

Our Ancestors' Kitchen, written by Willie Poll, tells the story of a young child learning the recipes of her ancestors, including her grandmother's favorite recipe. This picture book, with beautiful words and illustrations, talks us through the traditions of harvesting, as well as different Indigenous foods. I also loved the way that the grandchild is encouraged to remember her ancestors and their language - something the grandmother was not permitted to do in the same way when she was growing up.

I really appreciated this book, and the way it shows the different foods and traditions that the characters celebrate. I can see this as being a wonderful book for families to share together, or as a way to learn about Indigenous traditions.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, illustrator, and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The beautiful illustrations, cultural importance, and narrative that reflects on Indigenous peoples' traditions made this a beautiful book. The references to Native American culture do not directly name a tribe or language, but the author uses the names of the food, the tradition of gathering it, and the family reference to languages that were not allowed at one time to tell the story.

This is a beautiful book that can be enjoyed by all readers. I recommend this for schools and libraries.

Beautiful story about how food connects us to our cultures. I'm sure this will be a future storytime hit.

What a wonderful book about family and food's significance to culture. The illustrations are colourful and perfectly depict the story being told. I love that the theme introduces kids to how important food is to bringing people together and keeping memories and ancestors in our hearts.

5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is such a wonderful story about how food brings a culture together and tells us about our ancestors.

I loved how the illustrations brought history/the culture to the kitchen.

There is also a recipe in the back that helps children interact with the text and connect to the story even further.

I love getting to explore new cultures and learning about their stories.

I recommend this story to everyone.

I love books that teach us about indigenous culture and this one didn’t disappoint. I especially loved how they handle the moose 🫎(you’ll have to read it to find out). Thank you Annick Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

Gorgeous illustrations. It is a heartwarming story with elders and young ones connecting through food. Well Done!

This beautiful picture book introduces younger audiences to the concept that food unites us. As we eat traditional foods there is an opportunity to pass on ancestral wisdom. The illustrations and tone of the book are wonderful and most importantly not too overwhelming for younger readers.
While the book is specifically about a Native family the lessons carry over to all people, and could lead to an interesting discussion about traditional foods and regional farming/harvesting practices.

Our Ancestors’ Kitchen is a beautiful and soulful account of how our ancestors live on in our traditions and no tradition holds more soul than food! This book blends history, family, and food in a way that shows its importance to children of all ages.

Excellent picture book. The story and artwork work together. It feels warm and comforting. The authors note is thought provoking.

This is an amazing book! I love how the author decided to make the central theme about food/recipes and how they connect to memories and family history. Additionally, I love how this book is about Indigenous culture and their foods. This is so important in a kids' book because it's important for Indigenous culture to be present in ALL kids' lives, and especially meaningful for Indigenous children to learn about their heritage and ancestors. I even learned a lot about Indigenous culture, and all of the stuff included in this book is utterly beautiful and highly fascinating. I know for sure that, due to the variety and structure of this book, readers will be engaged for the entire story and will enjoy it as well. This book is definitely well-written and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it. Lastly, the illustrator made *breathtaking* and flawless pictures that perfectly captured the wonder and enchantment that come with exploring memories through family recipes.
Bravo!!!

Our Ancestors’ Kitchen is a gorgeous children’s book about how food can connect us with our past and memories of family.

The love and level of detail that went into every illustration is amazing. As soon as I finished the book I immediately started it again just to fully take in all of the pictures.

The recipe in the back was also such a nice added touch! I can’t wait to try making this ice cream with my children.

Thank you NetGalley, Annic Press, and Willie Poll and Shaikara David for the early access copy of Our Ancestors' Kitchen.

Our Ancestors' Kitchen is a beautifully illustrated children's book that tells the story of a young girl learning how to make her grandfather's favorite recipe with her grandmother. As the ingredients are listed, the readers go on a journey of past ancestors with the ingredients. The illustrations are stunning, showing the symbolism of the story clearly and beautifully. The language and illustrations also do an amazing job of showing the culture.

This will be a great tool for elementary school libraries to show Indigenous culture, love of the land, and impact of the cooking experience.