Stavans, Ilan. Secret Recipe, The. Taia Morley, Illus. Kar-Ben, 03/2025. [24]pp. Picture Book. PLB $18.99. 978-1-7284-8643-7. GRADES Kindergarten–3. ADDITIONAL.
A little boy’s abuela teaches him how to make bourekas, a type of cheese-filled pastry, from a recipe in Ladino. The story goes on to explain that Ladino was the language of Jews in Spain and Portugal before they were expelled (although it doesn’t spell out that this was during the Spanish Inquisition). The words in Ladino and Spanish are explained within the text, and there is a glossary at the back along with the recipe in English. The text is a little long but smoothly written, and the digital, full-color illustrations serve the text. A nice story about a rarely-covered subject.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool