Cora Cooks Pancit (by Dorina Lazo Gilmore and illustrated by Kristi Valiant) is reviewed in the November, 2009 issue of School Library Journal!

LAZO GILMORE, Dorina K. Cora Cooks Pancit. illus. by Kristi Valiant. unpaged. glossary. CIP. Shen's. 2009. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-885008-35-0. LC 2008045836.

PreS-Gr 3--When Cora's Filipino family cooks together, she's always stuck doing the "kid jobs." Then one day when her older siblings are out and about, Cora gets her chance to bond with Mama in the kitchen. She even gets to choose her favorite dish, so the two of them make a large bowl of noodles, chicken, and vegetables called pancit. Clear expository prose explains how to perform kitchen tasks. For example, Mama tells Cora, "Open the package of rice noodles and put them in this bowl of water." Then she engages her daughter by asking her, "Do you know why we soak them?" These scenes effectively model how adults can introduce children to cooking. The simple, direct style also makes the book equally well suited as a read-aloud and for newly independent readers. The artwork nicely complements the text, as Valiant's warm hues of gold, red, and orange highlight the family's loving relationship. They also capture Cora's feelings through facial expressions. Wide eyes and smiles show the child's joy at cooking with her mother, while a downcast mouth and arched eyebrows illustrate her anxiety that her family won't like her pancit. Although this dish is unique to Cora's culture, children of all backgrounds will share her feelings at being allowed to help cook a meal for the first time. A solid choice for schools and public libraries, especially where family-based programming is popular.--Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY

Burnt Lumpia is a blog about Filipino culture and, more importantly, food! Last week, Marvin of Burnt Lumpia featured Cora Cooks Pancit on the blog, including interior shots and everything. The children's book inspired Marvin to take a stroll down memory lane, and also to look into the future:

Now, as a new parent myself, I can only hope that my little one will some day show a curiosity in the cultural dishes I prepare in our own kitchen. Luckily, his curiosity is getting a head start whenever I read him Cora Cooks Pancit.

Thanks, Marvin!

For those of you lucky booksellers attending the Northern California Independent Bookseller's Association trade show in October, Dorina will be signing copies of Cora Cooks Pancit at our table at 12:30. Mark your trade show schedules!

Dorina Lazo Gilmore signs Cora Cooks Pancit
12:30pm, Saturday, October 10, 2009
NCIBA Tradeshow Booth C-4

On September 19, 2009, Tamejavi will once again return to Fresno. Radio Park and the Fresno Art Museum will become an interactive space in which artists from the Hmong, Indigenous Mexican, Iranian, Filipino, Native American and African American communities will tell stories of heritage and cultural transformation utilizing different art forms such as theater, dance, music, poetry and multimedia. These groups will also share how they have added artistic expressions and cultural practices to the Central Valley's landscape as well as new flavors and ingredients to the local cuisine.

Dorina will be at the Children's Stage at the Fresno Art Musuem signing Cora Cooks Pancit. Not sure yet exactly what time, though, so check back to get the details if you're going.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore book signing
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tamejavi Festival
Children's Stage at the Fresno Art Museum
2233 N 1st Street
Fresno, CA 93703

Eastwind Books of Berkeley and KPFA 94.1FM will be co-hosting an event on September 12, 2009 at 3:00pm featuring Dorina Lazo Gilmore and her book, Cora Cooks Pancit. The radio station will be recording the event for their program called APEX Express, a show featuring "stories and sounds with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view." The air date of the show is yet to be determined, but don't worry, I'll let you know when it is so if you are not lucky enough to live near Berkeley, you can still hear it online.

Author Dorina Lazo Gilmore
Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 3:00pm
Eastwind Books of Berkeley
2066 University Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704

Jacqui at the blog Happy Jack Eats has posted a gorgeous feature on Cora Cooks Pancit, including shots of the interior of the book. Happy Jack Eats is a food blog, and Jacqui is Filipino, so she reminisces about her own childhood in the kitchen. She also thinks of the next generation:

"I can't help but think of my niece, Mira, standing on a stool and stirring macaroni and cheese, the peas and pasta spilling out of the pan, and that little girl oblivious to everything except for the happy fact that she's with her daddy and they're cooking together. I can't wait to give her this book the next time I see her, and to cook pancit with her for the first time, telling her fun stories of her Lolo and Lola in the Philippines."

Thanks, Jacqui!

Papertigers has published a review of Cora Cooks Pancit in their August online issue. Here's what they had to say about it:

Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore adds another sensitive book about the immigrant experience for children to her growing catalog that includes Children of the San Joaquin Valley and Stone Soup: A Hmong Girl's Journey to the United States.  After a few generations, it is clear that Cora's Filipino-American family is right at home in the United States and proudly maintaining cultural heritage as part of their identity.

Kristi Valiant's warm and colorful illustrations invite readers into Cora's clean and welcoming suburban home to share the sunny afternoon with Cora and her mother.  The walls are brightly painted and adorned with paintings of tropical fruit.  Brightly colored ceramics line cabinet shelves.  The sun coming through the windows evokes a peaceful feeling, and personality is beautifully expressed in the clothing and gestures of the characters.

Cora Cooks Pancit is a lovely story about home, family, food, culture, growing up, and how all those things fit together.  A glossary of terms and, of course, Lolo's pancit recipe are included at the end of the book, making culture come alive in the kitchen while empowering kids to participate.

Click here to read the entire review at Papertigers.org.

I love it when things all come together.

Elizabeth Dulemba, illustrator of The Prince's Diary (which also happens to be the book that I authored), has posted a wonderful interview with Kristi Valiant about Cora Cooks Pancit on her blog. I love hearing one artist I know talk about another artist I know!

Now, having no artistic talent whatsoever, I am always fascinated to learn what goes on behind the illustrations of books, and am always surprised to find out things that had never occurred to me (though upon further reflection, are obviously essential to the illustrator's vision). To wit:

Q. I especially love the light pouring through the kitchen windows - did that present particular challenges?

A. The light pouring in with the shadows across the floor was one of my favorite things to paint! I wanted some warm sunshine lighting, but the whole book takes place indoors. The warm light pouring in the windows was the solution. I modeled the patio doors/windows after my own house, so I had an instant reference to make it easier to paint.

I hadn't noticed the light before-- I scrambled to the book to take a look. Wow, sure enough, I now notice the warm light coming through the kitchen windows. Neat!

Anyway, here's the whole interview. Thanks, Elizabeth!

If you're in Evansville, Indiana, come out and meet Kristi Valiant, illustrator of Cora Cooks Pancit! She'll be autographing books at Barnes & Noble on July 25th, 2009 at 2:00pm.

Illustrator Kristi Valiant book signing
Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Barnes & Noble
624 South Green River Rd
Evansville, IN 47715