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Yasmina #0
Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic
In this silly, action-packed graphic novel from Wauter Mannaert, Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic, a young chef is the only one who can protect her town from an onslaught of scientifically enhanced, highly addictive potatoes.
Yasmina isn't like the other kids in her city. Maybe it's the big chef hat she wears. Or the fact that she stuffs her dad's lunchbox full of spring rolls instead of peanut butter and jelly. She might be an oddball, but no one can deny that Yasmina has a flair for food. All she needs to whip up a gourmet meal is a recipe from her cookbook and fresh vegetables from the community garden.
But everything changes when the garden is bulldozed and replaced with a strange new crop of potatoes. Her neighbors can't get enough of these spuds! And after just one bite their behavior changes--they slobber, chase cats, and howl at the moon. What's the secret ingredient in these potatoes that has everyone acting like a bunch of crazed canines? Yasmina needs to find a cure, and fast!
Yasmina isn't like the other kids in her city. Maybe it's the big chef hat she wears. Or the fact that she stuffs her dad's lunchbox full of spring rolls instead of peanut butter and jelly. She might be an oddball, but no one can deny that Yasmina has a flair for food. All she needs to whip up a gourmet meal is a recipe from her cookbook and fresh vegetables from the community garden.
But everything changes when the garden is bulldozed and replaced with a strange new crop of potatoes. Her neighbors can't get enough of these spuds! And after just one bite their behavior changes--they slobber, chase cats, and howl at the moon. What's the secret ingredient in these potatoes that has everyone acting like a bunch of crazed canines? Yasmina needs to find a cure, and fast!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2021
9 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
February 23, 2021
3.5
Peguei pra ler durante a live de sprints de leitura hoje e adorei.
Gostei muito de saber qual foi a inspiração do autor para escrever essa graphic novel (tem essa informação logo depois que a história acaba) ♡
Depois falo mais sobre ele porque agora estou com fome hehe :x
Peguei pra ler durante a live de sprints de leitura hoje e adorei.
Gostei muito de saber qual foi a inspiração do autor para escrever essa graphic novel (tem essa informação logo depois que a história acaba) ♡
Depois falo mais sobre ele porque agora estou com fome hehe :x
June 25, 2024
This was an interesting read...
I've had Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic on my TBR for a while, but I never technically knew anything about the book. It's definitely a commentary on the importance of naturally grown foods; however, I feel like the addition of the modified potatoes to illustrate the ills of pre-packaged, easily consumed, factory produced foods was a little strange. It worked in some moments, but didn't work in others. It was clear that money was the motive for the villain, but we didn't get enough of his back story to understand why he wanted to genetically modify potatoes to make money. I also think that, culturally, there are some things middle grade readers will miss reading this story. This was a solid read and I'm happy I finally got it off my TBR; however, there are some areas that could have used a little more reworking to make the story clearer.
I've had Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic on my TBR for a while, but I never technically knew anything about the book. It's definitely a commentary on the importance of naturally grown foods; however, I feel like the addition of the modified potatoes to illustrate the ills of pre-packaged, easily consumed, factory produced foods was a little strange. It worked in some moments, but didn't work in others. It was clear that money was the motive for the villain, but we didn't get enough of his back story to understand why he wanted to genetically modify potatoes to make money. I also think that, culturally, there are some things middle grade readers will miss reading this story. This was a solid read and I'm happy I finally got it off my TBR; however, there are some areas that could have used a little more reworking to make the story clearer.
February 18, 2019
I really love this story. It has everything that I like in it. Yasmina is a very likeable character, the drawing style is good enough and it has a very strong, this is the best part in my opinion, message in it. The message is some sort of environmentalist and good eating/health habits, values that are both really important for me and the author bring this subject with humor and a perfect mixed of lightness and seriousness it doesn't become heavy and don't fall into absurdity either. This book also bring some social criticism which I really like! It's just a fun comic that have deep thinking and message to pass.Really well done!
March 26, 2019
Somebody is tampering with the potato. Tasty and healthy food? Forget it. The healthy eater who enjoys his meal is in danger. But luckily there's Yasmina. She is a young cook who loves fresh ingrediënts and makes the most wonderful vegetarian dishes for her father, who works in a snackbar. They are poor and have no money for healthy food. Fast food is far cheaper, but Yasmina refsuses to eat it. Her friends, two vegetable gardeners, provide her with what she needs. Until, one day, that is no longer possible. Yasmina starts researching and finds out what's going on. Is she in time to safe everyone?
This graphic novel is about healthy eating and taking good care of your environment. It brings an ecological message, aimed at younger readers. A graphic novel for young readers is very rare still in the Netherland. Or in this case Belgium, since Mannaert is a Belgian artist.
Wauter Mannaert has an extraordinary style. No clear lines for him, against the trend. He draws sketchy detailed pictures and lovely detailed characters. HIs drawings tell the story almost on their own. There's not a lot of spoken word in it.
The story is obviously aimed at younger readers. Maybe 9 or 10? It reads easily and the characters are solid and likeable. Even though the story is touching a some point, it never becomes preachy. Near the end it seems to derail a bit into a fantastic superhero like story. That's the only part not very interesting for an adult. Still, i forgive him. The rest of this book is just too delightful. And finally, another graphic novel in Dutch my kids can read. Thank you Dargaud!
This graphic novel is about healthy eating and taking good care of your environment. It brings an ecological message, aimed at younger readers. A graphic novel for young readers is very rare still in the Netherland. Or in this case Belgium, since Mannaert is a Belgian artist.
Wauter Mannaert has an extraordinary style. No clear lines for him, against the trend. He draws sketchy detailed pictures and lovely detailed characters. HIs drawings tell the story almost on their own. There's not a lot of spoken word in it.
The story is obviously aimed at younger readers. Maybe 9 or 10? It reads easily and the characters are solid and likeable. Even though the story is touching a some point, it never becomes preachy. Near the end it seems to derail a bit into a fantastic superhero like story. That's the only part not very interesting for an adult. Still, i forgive him. The rest of this book is just too delightful. And finally, another graphic novel in Dutch my kids can read. Thank you Dargaud!
March 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a young girl who loves cooking vegetable dishes for her father, and how she becomes embroiled in a sinister plot to get consumers addicted to junk food. Some may find the book a bit preachy about veganism and non-GMO foods, AND conservatives and capitalists are sure to HATE it, but on the whole I think it offers some good lessons about healthy eating, and a whole lotta fun to boot!
Fine artwork, as well.
Fine artwork, as well.
April 12, 2020
Absolutely charming! It's like the Tom-Tom & Nana series (Tom-Tom et l'impossible Nana) but with a social message about human behavior, our relationship with food and with our neighbors near and far, as well as a deeper message about the future of food.
This comic/BD touches on different perspectives on food cultures - cuisine vs. fast food, "traditional" agriculture vs. permaculture, and plant hybrids vs. GMO's without necessarily passing judgment except on GMO's and even then, it's all in how you read it. I really appreciated the two "potager" neighbors who each had their own way of gardening and still got along.
It's a bit difficult to place the age range for this because the message is interesting to adults, but many might find the style too childish to take seriously. The style is would be appealing to kids, the message is perhaps over their heads, but you can look at it like just a good guys/bad guys story.
Could be used for Book Riot's Read Harder 2020 challenge to read a food book about a cuisine you've never tried before.
I really loved it and would recommend :)
This comic/BD touches on different perspectives on food cultures - cuisine vs. fast food, "traditional" agriculture vs. permaculture, and plant hybrids vs. GMO's without necessarily passing judgment except on GMO's and even then, it's all in how you read it. I really appreciated the two "potager" neighbors who each had their own way of gardening and still got along.
It's a bit difficult to place the age range for this because the message is interesting to adults, but many might find the style too childish to take seriously. The style is would be appealing to kids, the message is perhaps over their heads, but you can look at it like just a good guys/bad guys story.
Could be used for Book Riot's Read Harder 2020 challenge to read a food book about a cuisine you've never tried before.
I really loved it and would recommend :)
March 21, 2022
I was just thinking what a silly story this is and then realised it's stated right there in the synopsis 😂 (I go into most books blind).
I like the idea behind the story and its overall message, but didn't care for it. Even though I got the main gist of things, some scenes were hard to follow and I had no idea what was going on. Not sure what's with the random whiffs. The text is lacking (both literally and figuratively).
I didn't like Yasmina at all but the artwork is good and the fork in her chef's hat was a nice touch.
Meh, thank you, next.
I like the idea behind the story and its overall message, but didn't care for it. Even though I got the main gist of things, some scenes were hard to follow and I had no idea what was going on. Not sure what's with the random whiffs. The text is lacking (both literally and figuratively).
I didn't like Yasmina at all but the artwork is good and the fork in her chef's hat was a nice touch.
Meh, thank you, next.
January 14, 2022
This was cute! I liked the interesting concept and it's fairly well written. It's paced oddly, fast or super fast, but ended up good.
February 27, 2019
Malgré son jeune âge, Yasmina est déjà une cheffe émérite, qui réussit à préparer de savoureux petits plats à partir des légumes donnés par ses deux amis jardiniers Cyrille et Marco. Mais le jour où un méchant fabricant de patates en sachet rase les potagers pour y installer son usine, la fillette se retrouve bien embêtée. Ce n'est pas avec le maigre salaire d'Omran, son papa employé dans un fast-food, qu'elle va réussir à acheter des tomates à près de 3€ le kilo. Heureusement, elle arrive à se servir en douce dans le jardin qu'une mystérieuse voisine cultive sur le toit de son immeuble. Puis les patates en sachet envahissent les magasins, connaissant un succès fou, et les gens qui en ont mangé se mettent à se comporter très bizarrement...
On aura compris depuis longtemps que je suis incapable de résister à une bédé culinaire. Mais outre son thème alléchant, "Yasmina et les mangeurs de patates" coche pratiquement toutes les cases de ce que j'adore en bande dessinée. Sur le plan graphique: absence de cases, longues plages muettes et néanmoins très parlantes, bâtiments vus en coupe et architecture originale, gros plans d'assiette, belles illustrations pleine page... Sur le plan de la narration, une jeune héroïne racisée, futée et militante du bien-manger, des personnages secondaires divers et attachants malgré leurs petits travers, des échanges hyper drôles (notamment entre le jardinier tradi et le fou du bio, ou entre Omran et ses collègues qui, voyant ses bento végétariens, soupirent qu'eux, sans viande et sans frites, ils ont de nouveau faim à 16h). Même si j'ai davantage aimé le côté "tranche de vie" de la longue mise en place que l'aventure qui s'emballe dans le dernier tiers, le récit est original et maîtrisé, sans aucun temps mort. Et malgré son côté parfois farfelu, il fait passer de très chouettes idées. Mon avis: il vous le faut. Tout de suite.
Mon blog lecture: https://l4nn3x3.blogspot.com/
On aura compris depuis longtemps que je suis incapable de résister à une bédé culinaire. Mais outre son thème alléchant, "Yasmina et les mangeurs de patates" coche pratiquement toutes les cases de ce que j'adore en bande dessinée. Sur le plan graphique: absence de cases, longues plages muettes et néanmoins très parlantes, bâtiments vus en coupe et architecture originale, gros plans d'assiette, belles illustrations pleine page... Sur le plan de la narration, une jeune héroïne racisée, futée et militante du bien-manger, des personnages secondaires divers et attachants malgré leurs petits travers, des échanges hyper drôles (notamment entre le jardinier tradi et le fou du bio, ou entre Omran et ses collègues qui, voyant ses bento végétariens, soupirent qu'eux, sans viande et sans frites, ils ont de nouveau faim à 16h). Même si j'ai davantage aimé le côté "tranche de vie" de la longue mise en place que l'aventure qui s'emballe dans le dernier tiers, le récit est original et maîtrisé, sans aucun temps mort. Et malgré son côté parfois farfelu, il fait passer de très chouettes idées. Mon avis: il vous le faut. Tout de suite.
Mon blog lecture: https://l4nn3x3.blogspot.com/
July 24, 2021
Yasmina is a tween chef who makes her dishes for her dad's lunch from her neighbors' vegetable gardens. However, a cruel investor brings a sudden change, destroying the neighbors' garden. A new potato chip craze suddenly has everyone acting like dogs. What can Chef Yasmina do?
Full of very silly illustrations and even sillier plot twists and character asides, this is a good read for those who enjoy the Big Nate series. The text is minimal, but the artwork captures the emotions. The recipes that Yasmina creates are enough to make anyone, including everyone in Yasmina's apartment building, would be enraptured to eat.
Full of very silly illustrations and even sillier plot twists and character asides, this is a good read for those who enjoy the Big Nate series. The text is minimal, but the artwork captures the emotions. The recipes that Yasmina creates are enough to make anyone, including everyone in Yasmina's apartment building, would be enraptured to eat.
December 22, 2024
4.2* - Altijd al fan geweest van het tekenwerk van Wauter Mannaert, maar hier overtreft hij zichzelf wat mij betreft. Een strip/graphic novel waarvan je zou willen dat het boek onder mening kerstboom belandt. Origineel, vol vaart, met humor en oog voor maatschappelijke thema´s, zonder belerend te worden. Vanaf heden is Yasmina mijn favoriete Brusselse vegetariër!
December 28, 2020
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
Yasmina is an aspiring young chef who fills her dad’s lunchbox with delicious and fresh foods. He works at a French fry eatery, but she insists on fresh ingredients that she often obtains from a neighborhood garden. That is, until a big conglomerate comes in, buys the land, and razes the gardens to plant potato fields. Yasmina resorts to stealing veggies and herbs from a neighbor’s garden on the roof of her building, but she’s eventually caught and made to stop. She tries to spend her meager savings on some fresh foods from the market, but she instead finds all the fresh ingredients have been replaced by potato crisps in bags, and her fellow townspeople are going nuts for them! Yasmina and her friends from the garden must get to the bottom of the mystery of these potato crisps and why they’re turning the townspeople into crazy animals, and her upstairs neighbor may have something to do with it all.
Yasmina is so full of energy, and reading this made me hungry for some fresh foods. She is very passionate about food and her family, and she expresses her love for her father in being able to cook for him. There is a bit of a criticism to cultures prioritizing convenience food rather than homemade with fresh ingredients, as well as the harm being done to the environment by large corporate farming. The "mystery" Yasmina must solve is fun and slightly gross. Most of the characters around Yasmina, including her dad, are not given a ton of depth or development. Still, this is an imaginative story with some interesting social commentary.
The art is a little interesting. There are whole pages without dialogue, but the story is easy to follow. There are no panel outlines like traditional graphic novels. Make sure readers have a firm grasp on narrating wordless pages and following the flow without panels.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale January 26, 2021.
Yasmina is an aspiring young chef who fills her dad’s lunchbox with delicious and fresh foods. He works at a French fry eatery, but she insists on fresh ingredients that she often obtains from a neighborhood garden. That is, until a big conglomerate comes in, buys the land, and razes the gardens to plant potato fields. Yasmina resorts to stealing veggies and herbs from a neighbor’s garden on the roof of her building, but she’s eventually caught and made to stop. She tries to spend her meager savings on some fresh foods from the market, but she instead finds all the fresh ingredients have been replaced by potato crisps in bags, and her fellow townspeople are going nuts for them! Yasmina and her friends from the garden must get to the bottom of the mystery of these potato crisps and why they’re turning the townspeople into crazy animals, and her upstairs neighbor may have something to do with it all.
Yasmina is so full of energy, and reading this made me hungry for some fresh foods. She is very passionate about food and her family, and she expresses her love for her father in being able to cook for him. There is a bit of a criticism to cultures prioritizing convenience food rather than homemade with fresh ingredients, as well as the harm being done to the environment by large corporate farming. The "mystery" Yasmina must solve is fun and slightly gross. Most of the characters around Yasmina, including her dad, are not given a ton of depth or development. Still, this is an imaginative story with some interesting social commentary.
The art is a little interesting. There are whole pages without dialogue, but the story is easy to follow. There are no panel outlines like traditional graphic novels. Make sure readers have a firm grasp on narrating wordless pages and following the flow without panels.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale January 26, 2021.
November 17, 2020
This book has been published in English before, but in two volumes. Together, as one volume, the story seems to drag a little in the middle, that I didn't notice when reading it separated by a few months.
This is the evil altered potatoes that people are eating, and starting to act funny, and Yasmina, who always prepares the food for her father, and doesn't eat fast food, doesn't notice until the community garden that she gets her veggies from is taken away from her.
A nice enough story. Really wonderful bad guys, but, as I said, it sags a bit in the middle. Good middle grade story, though. Strong heroine.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
This is the evil altered potatoes that people are eating, and starting to act funny, and Yasmina, who always prepares the food for her father, and doesn't eat fast food, doesn't notice until the community garden that she gets her veggies from is taken away from her.
A nice enough story. Really wonderful bad guys, but, as I said, it sags a bit in the middle. Good middle grade story, though. Strong heroine.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
March 23, 2021
This was a very silly graphic novel with food at it's heart. I love that there are more translated children's graphic novels making their way to the US. The addictive potatoes, why they're addictive and the side effects are really interesting. I enjoyed the two backyard farmers and their debate over organic versus pesticides etc. The rooftop garden was visually stunning as was the farmer/scientist who cultivated it. Yasmina and her father have a really great bond, I loved that she made him special lunches and helped out so much. So fun and unique!
April 3, 2021
Um this book is AMAZING. I did not realize how badly I needed gorgeous illustrations of delicious food. There are super sweet characters, the dad and daughter have a super sweet relationship, and the neighbors all have amazing gardens. The story is fast and sweet, and the illustrations are fluid and rhythmic.
My only gripe is Somewhere I saw an alternative cover for this book and it is WAY better. Regardless this book is amazing.
My only gripe is Somewhere I saw an alternative cover for this book and it is WAY better. Regardless this book is amazing.
July 11, 2023
Auch wenn die Geschichte etwas zu einfach und vorhersehbar gestrickt ist (für jüngere Leser aber wahrscheinlich doch überraschend), ist dies eine sehr unterhaltsame, dynamische Geschichte über die Liebe zum Kochen und genmanipuliertes Essen.
Eine schöne Idee, die mir zum Ende hin, aber doch etwas zu abgefahren und chaotisch und in typischen gut und böse Klischees erzählt wird.
Eine schöne Idee, die mir zum Ende hin, aber doch etwas zu abgefahren und chaotisch und in typischen gut und böse Klischees erzählt wird.
January 15, 2021
I thought Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic was a fun adventure with an unexpected twist.
March 6, 2021
I value the message about the importance of healthy, natural foods (not that GMO mess), but the execution felt too slapstick to me.
March 27, 2021
Really fun cute romp! Adventure and charm!
April 20, 2021
An okay story occasionally elevated by some very cool art! It also leaves you very hungry for french fries and the food illustration in general makes everything seem very appetizing.
November 24, 2021
This was very fun and I'm adding becoming a Top Chef (of my home) and making cute lunchboxes for my loved ones and also drawing a comic to my New Year's Resolutions now 😊
February 4, 2022
3.5/★★★★★
June 26, 2021
Charming story and kids will enjoy it.
March 4, 2021
I loved the art and use of color. The story was exciting and will prompt kids to think about what kind of food they are eating.
January 26, 2021
Yasmina loves to cook and prepare fresh veggies for her father and herself in creative ways. She relies heavily on the local community garden for her creations. When a big company growing dubious potatoes destroys the garden and starts cranking out products that have people acting VERY strangely, Chef Yasmina is on the case of how to reverse what they’ve done and take down the company.
I’m totally fine with some imaginative scifi about what crazy scientists can do with wacky machines. As a former biology teacher, I think it is sad how people get psyched out about genetically modified foods purely because they don’t understand the science. I hope kids will view this as pure fictional entertainment and do some careful study of how recombinant DNA science really works (I’ll give you a sneak preview…you cannot incorporate the DNA of what you eat into your own DNA…unless you are feasting on viruses instead of normal dietary choices).
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. One person is turned into vegetable. People act like animals, including some biting. Yasmina is not above stealing veggies when she can’t get them from other places and doesn’t seem very sorry about doing so.
I received an ARC of this title from Harvest House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m totally fine with some imaginative scifi about what crazy scientists can do with wacky machines. As a former biology teacher, I think it is sad how people get psyched out about genetically modified foods purely because they don’t understand the science. I hope kids will view this as pure fictional entertainment and do some careful study of how recombinant DNA science really works (I’ll give you a sneak preview…you cannot incorporate the DNA of what you eat into your own DNA…unless you are feasting on viruses instead of normal dietary choices).
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. One person is turned into vegetable. People act like animals, including some biting. Yasmina is not above stealing veggies when she can’t get them from other places and doesn’t seem very sorry about doing so.
I received an ARC of this title from Harvest House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2022
A cute tale with rather blunt messaging. I wish that the impact of her stealing from the rooftop garden was discussed a bit more, or that she was shown helping more in the two other gardens as a contrast. The routine of the day-by-day became overly repetitive, with the smelling the french fries, and I don't think it needed to take up as much time as it did. Once the idea of french fry-odor being tantalizing / addictive potatoes was established, that should've been enough.
I had expected to actually see some flying potatoes out in the wild, which might've been a story I would've enjoyed more.
I had expected to actually see some flying potatoes out in the wild, which might've been a story I would've enjoyed more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2021
Fun, humorous story that will also make you think about what goes in your food. The illustrations help add a lot to the story and are well done. I wish the characters had been fleshed out a lot more - they’re a bit one dimensional. Why does Yasmina love to cook? How does her dad not realize they have no money to eat, and that Yasmina gets all the food from two local gardeners? Questions like these left me lingering for more story building and character development.
Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2025
Aspiring chef Yasmina is on a budget. She's been utilizing fruits and veggies from her nearby community garden. But when a conglomerate buys the land and tears down the garden in lieu of an experimental crop, the young lady will have to make ends meet. And that means making secret raids on the rooftop garden of her overhead neighbor.
Within weeks, a new product from the mega corp that bought up Yasmina's garden hits store shelves. It's an immediate success. In fact, you could call its fans rabid. That's because for some reason, anyone that eats the GMO potatoes in the new food stuff starts acting like rabid dogs; to the point of even chasing the neighborhood mail carrier. At first, Yasmina avoids the fervor, preparing healthy meals with the assistance of a pair of gardening fanatics. But when her father eats the mysterious potato product, she'll need all the help she can get to save the day. Even help from the neighbor that she pilfers produce from.
I thought Wauter Mannert's 2019 debut four-colored graphic novel was a great read. It was like a cross between Top Chef and The Walking Dead. Only there's no real zombies and there isn't any eating of brains! There was some oddball humor and some really unusual characters, which I chalk up to the creator being Belgian. Though I don't approve of anyone stealing items from another's property. I understand that Yasmina's theft helps bring the story to a successful conclusion to the story. But being the victim of multiple thefts in my time, I take umbrage with the hero making liberal use of the five-finger discount. And I am sure parents and guardians will feel the same as I do.
Despite my disappointment with that character flaw in our hero, I liked Yasmina and I hope that she might have some more unusual adventures with food. She does some amazing things with food. Her father has a culinary background as well, working at a Belgian fries restaurant. I think there was a missing opportunity by not having a couple of recipes included in the book. Though I greatly appreciated Mannert's one-page comic about the lives of children in Belgium and his director's cut commentary offers some amazing insight into the artist's creative process and inspirations for the story.
Genetically Modified Organisms have been in the news and cause for culinary debate for a good couple of decades now. As a culinary teacher and chef, I can tell you that not every scientific advancement in our food supply is as terrifying and reckless as the potatoes in this book. There have been some creations that straddle ethical practice. But there's also been some that have positively influenced our growing world. GMOs is one subject that my state wants different educational departments to cross teach and this is an excellent book that can get the discussion rolling with the young readers in your life while also entertaining. Plus, it was a great pick to whet my appetite for October fun which I just can't wait to get here!
Recommended for readers aged 8-12.
Within weeks, a new product from the mega corp that bought up Yasmina's garden hits store shelves. It's an immediate success. In fact, you could call its fans rabid. That's because for some reason, anyone that eats the GMO potatoes in the new food stuff starts acting like rabid dogs; to the point of even chasing the neighborhood mail carrier. At first, Yasmina avoids the fervor, preparing healthy meals with the assistance of a pair of gardening fanatics. But when her father eats the mysterious potato product, she'll need all the help she can get to save the day. Even help from the neighbor that she pilfers produce from.
I thought Wauter Mannert's 2019 debut four-colored graphic novel was a great read. It was like a cross between Top Chef and The Walking Dead. Only there's no real zombies and there isn't any eating of brains! There was some oddball humor and some really unusual characters, which I chalk up to the creator being Belgian. Though I don't approve of anyone stealing items from another's property. I understand that Yasmina's theft helps bring the story to a successful conclusion to the story. But being the victim of multiple thefts in my time, I take umbrage with the hero making liberal use of the five-finger discount. And I am sure parents and guardians will feel the same as I do.
Despite my disappointment with that character flaw in our hero, I liked Yasmina and I hope that she might have some more unusual adventures with food. She does some amazing things with food. Her father has a culinary background as well, working at a Belgian fries restaurant. I think there was a missing opportunity by not having a couple of recipes included in the book. Though I greatly appreciated Mannert's one-page comic about the lives of children in Belgium and his director's cut commentary offers some amazing insight into the artist's creative process and inspirations for the story.
Genetically Modified Organisms have been in the news and cause for culinary debate for a good couple of decades now. As a culinary teacher and chef, I can tell you that not every scientific advancement in our food supply is as terrifying and reckless as the potatoes in this book. There have been some creations that straddle ethical practice. But there's also been some that have positively influenced our growing world. GMOs is one subject that my state wants different educational departments to cross teach and this is an excellent book that can get the discussion rolling with the young readers in your life while also entertaining. Plus, it was a great pick to whet my appetite for October fun which I just can't wait to get here!
Recommended for readers aged 8-12.
September 30, 2021
4 stars
Yasmina might be the cutest chef I have ever seen. She wears a chef's hat 24/7, has an infectiously optimistic and determined energy, and gets her supplies to make her gourmet creations from her (bickering) neighbors' vegetable gardens. The beginning scenes of her sending her dad off with her vegetarian delicacies are heartwarming. He lets the subtle comments from his co-workers roll off his back and comes home reeking of the fast food joint that he works at eager for more of Yasmina’s creations. When Yasmina’s neighbors have their gardens bulldozed by a mysterious corporation, she scrambles to find vegetables, but the rooftop garden is off-limits and she can’t or won’t ask for the money to go to the grocery store. When everyone starts eating the food coming from the aforementioned mysterious corporation, everything sort of goes haywire from there. Fresh food quickly becomes obsolete, while people's addiction to this strange new processed food drives them to disturbing behaviors. Yasmina and her friends eventually team up to solve the crisis and, all in all, this ends up being a cute one. The dialogue is kept to a minimum and the drawings are small detailed pictures with soft edges that float on the page instead of being locked into traditional comic panels.
The problems I had with this book were minor. I thought Yasmina’s struggle to afford and to even find fresh produce was poignant and could have been elaborated on more: something about the lack of accessibility of fresh food to those that are of low income status, or how industrial farming and bioengineering can have positive and negative effects, but that never happens. Instead, it’s more a two-dimensional lesson that chemically-altered food is inherently wrong or unhealthy. I will say that this is a good starting point for those larger conversations and is easily digestible content for middle grade readers searching for a fun new adventure that's low on the stakes and high on the comedy.
~ Miss Krystal
Yasmina might be the cutest chef I have ever seen. She wears a chef's hat 24/7, has an infectiously optimistic and determined energy, and gets her supplies to make her gourmet creations from her (bickering) neighbors' vegetable gardens. The beginning scenes of her sending her dad off with her vegetarian delicacies are heartwarming. He lets the subtle comments from his co-workers roll off his back and comes home reeking of the fast food joint that he works at eager for more of Yasmina’s creations. When Yasmina’s neighbors have their gardens bulldozed by a mysterious corporation, she scrambles to find vegetables, but the rooftop garden is off-limits and she can’t or won’t ask for the money to go to the grocery store. When everyone starts eating the food coming from the aforementioned mysterious corporation, everything sort of goes haywire from there. Fresh food quickly becomes obsolete, while people's addiction to this strange new processed food drives them to disturbing behaviors. Yasmina and her friends eventually team up to solve the crisis and, all in all, this ends up being a cute one. The dialogue is kept to a minimum and the drawings are small detailed pictures with soft edges that float on the page instead of being locked into traditional comic panels.
The problems I had with this book were minor. I thought Yasmina’s struggle to afford and to even find fresh produce was poignant and could have been elaborated on more: something about the lack of accessibility of fresh food to those that are of low income status, or how industrial farming and bioengineering can have positive and negative effects, but that never happens. Instead, it’s more a two-dimensional lesson that chemically-altered food is inherently wrong or unhealthy. I will say that this is a good starting point for those larger conversations and is easily digestible content for middle grade readers searching for a fun new adventure that's low on the stakes and high on the comedy.
~ Miss Krystal
August 15, 2021
LOVED this book. The themes were really interesting (healthy vs unhealthy food, scientifically altered food vs organic food, food made with love & time vs food of convenience). Although these themes sound like they'd be boring to kids, Mannaert manages to wrap them up in humor and a crazy plot that (I think, anyway) keep the story entertaining for younger readers. It's a really clever book that manages to be fun while also opening doors to important conversations that don't often/easily come up in juvenile books. I think it will appeal to both children and adults. Disclaimer to all that - I'm a 26 year old and I have not asked any children what they think of this book.
My only complaint was that the ending for the villain didn't seem fully developed.
The illustrations are just lovely. The color palette is bright enough to be fun and exciting yet refined enough to keep it from going distracting or over the top cutesy. The line work is delicate and there are lots of little details. Sometimes there is text, and sometimes the illustrations carry the story. It can feel almost meditative to pore over the artwork and appreciate how the plot and world can be so richly enhanced with thoughtfully crafted images.
And finally, I really appreciated the creator's notes in the back! The whole book I was trying to figure out which country it was set in, but I didn't know enough about Belgium to guess correctly. So it was fun to learn more about Belgium - as well as french fries, the inspiration behind the story, and Mannaert's creative process.
Highly recommend!!
My only complaint was that the ending for the villain didn't seem fully developed.
The illustrations are just lovely. The color palette is bright enough to be fun and exciting yet refined enough to keep it from going distracting or over the top cutesy. The line work is delicate and there are lots of little details. Sometimes there is text, and sometimes the illustrations carry the story. It can feel almost meditative to pore over the artwork and appreciate how the plot and world can be so richly enhanced with thoughtfully crafted images.
And finally, I really appreciated the creator's notes in the back! The whole book I was trying to figure out which country it was set in, but I didn't know enough about Belgium to guess correctly. So it was fun to learn more about Belgium - as well as french fries, the inspiration behind the story, and Mannaert's creative process.
Highly recommend!!
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