* "Entertainingly depicted... Bon appétit!"—"Starred" review, Booklist
* "Best Picture-Book Biographies 2022" —Kirkus Reviews
* "Best Children's Books of the Year 2023"— Bank Street College of Education, Children's Book Committee
"Colorful, stylized art and playful, accessible text draw in readers, beginning with the endpapers’ beautiful cabbages. First, Katz is shown in his world-renowned fermentation school in Walnut Ridge, Tennessee, where his kitchen lies inside a house with a “crickety-crockety porch.” Next, readers learn of his boyhood in New York City, where he grows up loving fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kosher dill pickles. As a young man, Katz watches friends dying of AIDS and then learns that he is HIV-positive. He decides that the best way to take better care of himself is to leave his beloved city and “join a community of queer folks” in rural Tennessee. When their farm is overpopulated with ready-to-harvest cabbage, Katz is inspired to try his hand at sauerkraut. Soon, he combines that recipe with Korean kimchi spices and creates something that he dubs “kraut-chi.” A dazzling double-page spread shows him and his living partners at table as they dub him “Sandorkraut.” Katz markets his product and eventually travels the world, teaching, learning, and writing about fermented foods. The simple instructions—'chop, salt, squeeze, pack, and wait'—become the foundation for an accessible, six-step recipe at the end. Fermentation definitions are deftly sprinkled throughout the pages. Inspiring and 'kraut-chi-licious.'" —Kirkus Reviews
"A triumphant celebration of food and community." —Kirkus Reviews, "Children's Books that Celebrate Queer Identity"
"A zesty, inspiring new look at an age-old approach to eating... Martin and Lee incorporate quotes from Katz throughout their energetic, onomatopoeic text... Making her picture book debut, Julie Wilson's casual, enthusiastic, earth-toned illustrations suit the subject and Katz's effervescent personality. The entertainment value here is rivaled by expansive backmatter including an afterword by Katz addressing readers, a visual guide to kraut-making, long author and illustrator notes (including ethnographic research) and additional resources.
A fizzy and informative celebration of fermentation that enthusiastically supports curious experimentation and food literacy."—Shelf Awareness
"A new picture book about food fermentation evangelist Sandor Katz is the queer biography I didn’t know I needed—full of flavor inspiration and community…
Martin and Lee’s text is a delight echoing the snap crunch and fizz of fermenting foods. Julie Wilson’s illustrations are colorful and casual reflecting the vibe of the farm community and Katz himself. Katz’ queerness is not a focus of the story but is nevertheless clear as is the queerness of his community—a lovely example of how not to make every queer person’s biography 'about' them being queer but nevertheless to make their queerness visible."—Mombian, GLAAD Media Award-winning blog for LGBTQ parents
AWARD & HONORS TO JACQULINE BRIGGS MARTIN & JUNE JO LEE'S CHEF ROY CHOI AND THE STREET FOOD REMIX:
• Robert F. Sibert Award Honor for Most Distinguished Informational Book, 2018
• Notable Children's Book, American Library Association
• Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children 2018, National Council of Teachers of English
• Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2018, National Council for the Social Studies
• Winner, FOCAL Award 2019 for Best Children's Book with California Content, Los Angeles Public Library
• "Outstanding Merit," Best Children's Book of the Year 2018, Bank Street College of Education's Children's Book Committee
• Junior Library Guild Selection
• "CCBC Choices,” Cooperative Children's Book Center
• Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 2018-2019
• Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee, 2019
• Finalist, INDIES Book of the Year Award 2017, Forward Review
• “Starred” review, School Library Journal
• “Starred” review, Publishers Weekly
