I Hate Bouillabaisse! feeds hungry young minds

DAVE EAGLES STAFF REPORTER dave_eagles@kamloopsthisweek.com

Author Douglas Vandor’s first book, Salmon on Toast , garnered rave review and, introduced readers to Pug the Slug.

Two years later, Douglas, a former Olympic rower and a graduate of Northwest Culinary Academy, has served up his latest offering — I Hate Bouillabaisse!

From his own experiences in the kitchen, Vandor has been carving a niche in the children’s book genre.

I Hate Bouillabaisse! feeds into a child’s imagination and fascination with food.

Central character Sophie, doesn’t find her Tante (Aunt) Annette’s culinary creations all that appetizing.

Tante Annette’s explanations of each new dish she creates only encourages young Sophie’s vivid imagination of far out foods.

When her Tante Annette says, “Sophie, eat your vichyssoise,” Sophie groans.

Tante Annette asks, “Don’t you like potatoes and leeks?”

“Did Tante Annette say potatoes and beaks?” Sophie asks.

As each new dish is presented during their weekly Sunday dinners, Sophie’s mind conjures up something entirely different — and yucky.

Mice and mushrooms, peppers and ants, tomatoes and trolls — Tante Annette’s attempts to describe her dishes with long, funny names like, vichyssoise or bouillabaisse — fall on deaf ears.

Sophie hears only what she wants to

Last year, the Cit y of Kamloops used its por tion of provincial gambling revenue for hosting Cascades Casino and Chances Kamloops to help improve communit y facilities like the Hillside Stadium running track hear and this leads to some imaginative storytelling the next day at school.

Sophie learns from her classmates that apparently not everyone has eaten potatoes and beaks — pterodactyl beaks, Sophie presumes.

The picture book whet the appetites of local primary students when KTW introduced Tante Annette and the vivid imagination of young Sophie.

The young audiences made personal connections to their own stories of favourite family meals, especially the Kindergarteners.

Older primary students also had fun sharing their own “horror” stories of similar experiences with food.

Hands shot up in the air to have a chance to tell their own tales of family meals gone awry.

The bright, bold and colourful images, which illustrator Stefanie St. Denis created, helps the story come alive for young listeners.

As pages turned, the youngsters in the audience eagerly anticipated Sophie’s next meal and what her imagination would inspire.

“I liked all the detail.”

“The ants were gross!”

“The troll freaked me out, but it was my favourite part of the story.”

“I like how there were bugs instead of food.”

“The aunt’s food is scary.”

“I wish it [story] was longer.”

Author Vandor lives in Vancouver with his wife and two children. I Hate Bouillabaisse! is available at all major retailers, including Chapters/Indigo, Amazon and Barnes and Noble in paperback, hardcover and e-book formats.

There is also a French version of the book, with the title Je déteste la bouillabaisse!

Summer Reading Club Welcomes All Ages

There is a summer reading club for everyone, including kids, teens and adults. Clubs run through Aug. 26 and sign-ups can be done at local libraries and at the mobile library.

The summer reading clubs have a theme of journeying through time. As part of a special addition to the club this year, children can take part in programming at Aberdeen Mall, where a weekly storytime event is held each Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information about summer reading clubs, go online to tnrl.ca/src.

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