“THE MICE OF BISTROT DES SEPT FRERES,” by Marie Le Tourneau, Tanglewood Press, $7.95 (ages 4-8)
“The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres” may have been out for a number of years, but it’s a delightful find nonetheless.
Les Bistrot des Sept Freres (The Bistro of the Seven Brothers) is the hippest place in Paris. It is known for its French cuisine, particularly the cheese soup.
Chef Marcel’s seven sons and his one daughter help out at the restaurant. And they all know all of cheese soup’s ingredients except the final one. It’s a secret, and only Chef Marcel knows what it is.
One day, a telegram arrives announcing a culinary judge’s arrival in just one hour. The kitchen staff is thrown into chaos as they hurry to prepare the special soup. But the chef is out of the secret ingredient. Will he make it back in time?
Whimsical illustrations accompany English text sprinkled with French vocabulary throughout. In fact there’s even a pronunciation page to help readers. There’s nothing not to like in this lovely picture book.
The book’s publisher, Tanglewood Press, is offering readers a number of activities in conjunction with “The Mice of Bstrot des Sept Freres’ online. Visit Tanglewood’s site for the second part of the The Famous Cheese Soup of The Mice of the Bistrot des Sept Freres.
