Umami
by Jacob Grant; illus. by the author
Primary    Viking    40 pp.
10/24    9780593624067    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593624081    $10.99

“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the penguin village ate cold fish.” Umami, a brown and white penguin in a homogenous community, is bored with the monotonous meals of bland fish served in her colony. Craving new flavors, she sets off in a small fishing boat in search of more appetizing cuisines. Upon arriving in a different land, the penguin smells the aromas of unfamiliar foods. “‘Oh, my sweet little beak!’ said Umami. ‘Nothing ever smelled so spectacular.’” She samples a smorgasbord of salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and spicy foods, as well as those with the “meaty and savory” flavor for which she’s named. She hauls home a bounty of ingredients to introduce to her village and serves up a feast, which devolves into a humorous feeding frenzy. Grant’s colored-pencil and oil pastel monoprint illustrations depict a penguin experiencing diversity in a populous land, home to numerous types of animals. As Umami leaves the humdrum of her village and travels abroad to experience the vibrancy of variety, the cool color palette simmers into a range of buttery yellows and chili reds. Umami’s lively culinary exploration may stir curiosity in young foodies to venture beyond familiar comfort food.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.