What the Bread Says: Baking with Love, History, and Papan

By Tim Palin and Vanessa Garcia

Baking with Papan is always an adventure as stories swirl in the kitchen. Join Papan and Vanessa as they go from the bumpy Pyrenees Mountains into fancy Paris and to the tropical island of Cuba while kneading, dancing and singing along the way.Based on a true story, this was how Vanessa Garcia (author) learned to bake bread with her grandfather when she was a little girl. While baking together, her grandfather told her incredible stories of his life. Through his stories, Vanessa learned about her roots and the power of love and family. Get a copy of What the Bread Says and celebrate family, cultures, and the resilience of the human spirit. There is a FREE Reader's Guide for children. The guide contains interactive lesson plans that deepen comprehension and encourage critical thinking skills. The Reader's Guide and coloring pages are available for FREE download from the publisher website.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781735345192

Tim Palin

Tim Palin has been drawing ever since he can remember. On road trips as a kid, he drew monsters in the back of the car. In high school, he’d stay up all night drawing cartoon dinosaurs. In his college years, he took drawing and sketching classes. After many years away from drawing, he’s back and has been devoting his drawing time to children’s publishing and he loves every minute of it! He says, “I create daily sketches to keep my mind sharp and play with new shapes and techniques. Whether, it’s a ladybug or a baseball or a ladybug playing baseball, I ‘make stuff’ every day!”

Book preview

Reviews for What the Bread Says

[amyghilton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What the Bread Says is an adorable picture book that is also a very helpful tool in teaching children about other cultures and also the importance of connecting with people through food and cooking. The grandfather, Papan, spends time with his grandchild every Saturday in the kitchen baking bread. Every week they make a different bread and he tells her stories about the history of that particular bread. Included in the book is information about the Jewish bread, challah, the French baguette, and sweet Cuban bread. The illustrations are also very colorful and engaging. A great book for children ages 4-10.

[allicatca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to Cardinal Rule Press for an advance copy. I like this book for the possibility of parents/guardians/teachers broaching the subject of baking bread or even of immigration but as far as the entire book is concerned, I think it's a bit cerebral for children. The mother in the book goes off to yoga while the girl main character goes to her grandpa's house to bake bread, "meditating another way." That isn't much explained. I like how the grandpa shares stories of having lived in France and in Cuba but wish the book had explicitly said he was from Spain instead of just an illustration of him pointing to Spain. Showing the braids of challah they are baking and labeling them "of love," "harmony,"and history" is nice. But apparently that isn't what the bread said... What the bread said is in its scent: "Everything you've ever learned. And everything you haven't, not yet. Everything you'll ever need. It's all here in this bread."Love? Family? I'm not sure what the bread was saying. Cute illustrations and an obviously sweet relationship between a granddaughter and her grandfather. Due to mention of a world war, maybe best for 2nd grade and up.

[bogreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A child makes bread with her grandfather and learns some of his history which included time spent in France and Cuba before coming to the United States. Each place has a distinct bread which can be made to share memories.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A granddaughter bakes bread weekly with her grandfather. As they bake different kinds of bread, she learns that he had to leave France in WWII, and then Cuba when Castro took power, but now feels safe with his family in their current home.