Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Juana Martinez-Neal, Kevin Noble Maillard
Published by Roaring Brook Press on October 22, 2019
ISBN: 1626727465
Pages: 42
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

Starting with the senses, author Maillard brings the reader into the experience of making fry bread. He then expands to the meaning of it from art to history to place, widening the definition to the world before bringing it back to the child who eats the bread. Martinez-Neal’s soft illustrations rendered in color pencils and graphite in a palate of blues and browns with pops of orange and red are stunning.  Her diverse characters offer many expressions and body types and bring Maillard’s spare and lovely words to life. This own voices book should be on the shelf of every public and school library with a picture book collection. Recommend for cream of the crop.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth