Carla and the Christmas Cornbread

Product Description
In this heartwarming tale inspired by her childhood, superstar chef and TV host Carla Hall shares the story of young Carla, who eats a sugar cookie meant for Santa on the night before Christmas and tries to make things right.\nChristmas is Carla’s favorite holiday of the year. She goes to her grandparents’ house and eats grandma’s special recipe—a perfectly delicious cornbread. She listens to her grandpa Doc’s marvelous stories about traveling the world. And, best of all, she spends lots of time with her family.\nBut when Carla accidentally takes a bite out of Santa’s sugar cookie, she thinks she’s ruined Christmas. How will Santa know to stop at their house if they don’t leave him a midnight snack? With her grandmother’s help, Carla comes up with a plan, but will it be enough to save Christmas?
From School Library Journal
Gr 1-3-The celebrity chef gives us a warm tale with a nostalgic tone. The book follows young Carla on her way to her grandmother's house for Christmas Eve. Harris's detailed illustrations portray a Christmas dinner filled with soul food favorites, including Carla's favorite corn bread. Everything is going well for Carla, until she accidentally takes a bite of Santa's cookie. Granny swoops in to the rescue, and together Carla and Granny make Santa fresh corn bread and cinnamon butter. The story is slow to get started, but students won't mind relishing and discussing their favorite details of holiday traditions. The colorful illustrations will support readers' comprehension and engagement. with the narrative. Back matter includes a recipe for corn bread and cinnamon butter. This book provides a positive and authentic representation of a family of color, including Black Santa, and is a sweet Christmas story. VERDICT Recommended for elementary collections, especially those in need of positive, authentic representation of families of color, especially in holiday books.-Christina Salazar, Mesquite I.S.D., TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"With expressive illustrations that set the story in the early 1970s and evoke the Christmas mood in the context of a loving Black family, this tale reminds readers that love and good intentions can almost always save the day. Readers will be eager to try out the cornbread recipe included in the endmatter...[h]eartwarming and cozy." -- Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Carla Hall attended L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. She gained her audience when she competed on Bravo’s
Top Chef and
Top Chef: All Stars. She has been a TV personality since then, cohosting on the ABC talk show
The Chew, contributing on
Good Morning America, and featuring as a judge on
Crazy Delicious on Netflix and on
Bakeaway Camp on the Food Network. She is the author of
Carla’s Comfort Foods,
Cooking with Love, and
Carla Hall’s Soul Food, which received an NAACP Image Awards nomination. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband. Visit carlahall.com for more.\nCherise Harris is an illustrator from Barbados. Her work centers around an interest in fairy tale and its role in telling deep and meaningful stories. Cherise uses pencil, watercolor, and clay, exploring her ideas in both 2D and 3D form. She also uses Photoshop to create digital art and gifs. She received her associate’s degree in visual arts at the Barbados Community College, her BFA in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and most recently completed her master’s in illustration at Falmouth University in the UK. Cherise currently lives back home in Barbados with her husband, Ryan, and her daughter.