FRY BREAD

FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard. Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Growing up we ate fry bread. It was such a treat when my mom made it. We loaded it with taco toppings and tried to eat it as gracefully as we could! The next day found us covering leftover breads with butter and honey. So delicious!

How did I grow up eating fry bread when I am half Swedish and half European Heinz 57? Before I was born my parents lived and worked on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona. My mom was a school teacher and my dad the school handy man. Listening to their stories and looking at their pictures is special to this day. But back to fry bread, the women taught mom how to make it and that's how we grew up with it.

Kevin Noble Maillard writes about the Native American family in Fry Bread. Not the family unit in a traditional way, but the family of Native American Tribes under the banner of Fry Bread. Written in a series of metaphors and similes your younger children will need some help deciphering the meaning of what the author is saying on some of the pages. Maillard gives in depth explanations in the end pages. Fry Bread is a delightful celebration of the Native American people.

Fry Bread is beautifully illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. The creamy yellow shade that runs throughout the pages keeps your mind focused on warmth, gathering, and of course fry bread. Illustrations are fun as they show children of multiple nationalities participating in the making and eating of the fry bread with their mothers.

ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES-Make fry bread! There is a recipe in the back of the book. It's different then the one I use, but at some point I'm going to try the variation.

-This is a great launching pad to learning about Native Americans. Select a few to learn about. Map locations of their tribes.